


Bad Blood

by AverageFangirl220



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 59,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AverageFangirl220/pseuds/AverageFangirl220
Summary: Before he knew it, Na Jaemin grew up learning the ways of the vampire hunters after having lost someone dear to him to one of those monsters; for that he vowed revenge.When he's on the doorstep to his future, he's shoved into a world he hadn't signed up for. With roommates and friends and the constant having to hide his fear deep down inside, he holds on tight to his goal in order not to lose it.But when he's thrown even more into the world of vampire hunters, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep both worlds separate. Especially when his heart as unwillingly opened itself up to someone he barely knows.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Wong Kun Hang | Hendery, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Liu Yang Yang/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun, Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le, Qian Kun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 21
Kudos: 217
Collections: Keep it going





	1. Chapter 1

When his dad first told him about vampires and vampire hunters, he thought it was some kind of joke. Mind you he was seven at the time.

It wasn’t until he was sixteen that he first encountered one. He was on a date with his boyfriend of four years and usually they never stayed out that late and to this day he doesn’t remember the reason they had been, but it was getting closer and closer to midnight and the streets were empty and they took their usual route back home but of course that usual route were all the dark alleys; the shortcuts and he’d been panicky about it but his boyfriend insisted and then— 

Well, then they were attacked. More precisely, the vampire showed up all dark outfit and bared fangs and his boyfriend, his stupid, honestly dumb boyfriend jumped in front of him and when he opened his eyes, the vampire was gone and so was the boyfriend.

He’d run home as soon as his legs worked and finally went to listen to his dad. He never let himself shed a tear.

And now, he was here. 

Standing outside his dorm room. Over the years, he’d learned to not be so panicky and nervous with every single person. His dad taught him. And he had to remind himself that not everyone was vampires (nor did everyone really know of their existence.) However, the nerves he felt this time; the churning of his stomach and the shaking of his hands was for a whole different reason. This was his first time away from home. This is his first big step into the real world and he went ahead and told his dad that he’d be okay and there wasn’t a need to escort him all the way here. He kept telling himself that he could do this. The whole car ride consisted of self-motivation.

He takes a deep breath and then he fishes for his key in his pocket. However, way before he can even get to it, the door opens. Nearly knocking him in the process had it not been for him moving back in time. The person who had so quickly opened the door was standing still then and it took a moment before Jaemin actually looked up at the other male. And boy was he glad that he did. Because somehow the male standing before him was absolutely breathtaking (and he meant it literally). He had a fairly round face and hair fell into his face in a way that hid his forehead and only hinted at his eyebrows. His mouth pulled into a smile the moment his eyes sparked with realization and before he knew it, the boy was taking a hold of Jaemin’s hand and shaking it vigorously. He seemed overly pleased considering they had yet to exchange names.

“You must be Jaemin-ah. I’m Haechan,” he’s got this wide smile but only sort of reaches his eyes. Not the way— _No_ , he thinks. He promised he wouldn’t anymore.

“Hello,” Jaemin smiles softly. Shaking the other boy’s hand more gently, he nods in confirmation. “I’m Jaemin. It’s nice to meet you.”

When required to fill the form, he didn’t pick a roommate so it wasn’t until he looked at his emails this morning that he found out it was no longer an option and thus he was automatically paired with someone. So he didn’t have much time to look up who it was (because they usually told you) and thus it was like rooming with a stranger. Sure it would have been that way regardless but if he had the name before hand and the opportunity to message the person, they would have been people who knew each other by name before getting here.

Without really asking, Haechan tugs Jaemin into the room. And although they’d been given the option to get here days before to see the setup of their room so they could pack what they needed to, Jaemin had chosen to stick it out and hope for the best. So it was his first time seeing the room. Which was surprisingly bigger than he expected. There was enough space between the beds for a carpet to fit (the square or circle kinds. Not those other weird and thin rectangular ones) and there was a closet along the one side of the wall. Both sides of the room had a desk with a lamp as well. It took him a moment to realize that Haechan was speaking so he zoned in on the other in time to hear, “...The closet is divided. I checked and already packed my stuff. Where are your stuff? Do you need help carrying anything?”

A polite smile and a shake of the head is Jaemin’s only response. He walks over to the bed he suspects is his (the one that wasn’t filled with comforters and sheets and the likes) and places his backpack down.

“I was going to head out,” Haechan informs. When he looks up, the other male is looking over at him. 

“That’s okay. You can just close the door. My stuff’s in the car so it'll be a quick trip.”

At this, Haechan nods and then they end up leaving the room together. But Haechan turns right while he turns left, much to Jaemin’s relief. He didn’t feel for long conversations or much having to keep up with one. He just wanted to get his stuff and pass out.

*

Once he was unpacked, he didn’t know what to do with himself. So he figured that a cup of coffee wouldn’t hurt. And really that’s how he ended up googling the nearest coffee shop as he waited for the elevator.

The nearest coffee shop, to his luck, was close enough to walk. So he follows the map until he finds the place. It’s a real debate between to-go or seating and he ends up opting for the latter. When asked, he requests a window seat and lands a booth-window-seat for two. He liked window seats because it gave him the opportunity to observe people.

It had become a habit over the years. Still, he isn’t very good at telling the difference between the humans and the vampires but he knows characteristics to look out for, if only a few. His dad had the gift. He would be able to sit and just whisper _vampire_ and Jaemin would half jump out of his seat before his dad put an arm around him and told him to calm down. 

“Hello, may I take your order?”

The waitress has a nasally, high-pitched voice and there’s a pencil behind her ear. She looks at him with a smile so sharp, he thinks it could cut glass. A messy bun and a skew apron with the top button of her shirt only half in the hole. And there’s a consistent foot tapping on her end that makes him wonder whether she’s impatient or annoyed. 

“Could I get a coffee please?” 

Her eyes spark up, and Jaemin decides that she’s annoyed. She looks like she’s about to make a comment but then one of her co-workers passes by and he doesn’t miss the nudge against her back. She nods and informs him that she’ll be right back and disappears into the back.

 _Odd_ , he thinks. _Very odd_. 

“Sir, your coffee.” The cup is placed down in front of him. Nodding a thank you, he reaches for the cup and sighs.

 _We should be drinking this coffee together_ , he thinks as he takes a sip. 


	2. Chapter 2

Haechan often disappeared. 

Jaemin didn’t much try to make friends or go out to the parties and when there were dorm parties on their floor, he kept the door closed and sometimes he would lock it so that nobody came in. 

Haechan was busy. He would come in and he would go out and sometimes he wouldn’t come back until the next day. The first time he came back the next day was the first day a party was held on their floor and when he closed the door, he seemed a little confused as to why he had been locked out. Jaemin apologised and explained that he didn’t really trust the people not to barge in and thankfully Haechan seemed to understand.

The weeks fly by in college. 

It’s already the third week and in the third week, Haechan has managed to come back late almost every night. So, when he doesn’t return the Thursday evening, Jaemin wonders if he should ask. So far, the two have kept out of each other’s personal lives. Haechan gave up on asking him to come with him on Friday evenings to parties and wherever the hell it was he ended up going. And so, their douse of conversation has kept to their classes, tests, lecturers and whether the door should just be closed or whether it should be locked. And frankly, it isn’t any of Jaemin’s business. But somehow, he also felt responsible; if something bad happened to his roommate, it would somehow be his fault. In truth, at some point he found himself looking out for the little characteristics that he could recall; the tells between vampires and humans, in Haechan. Especially considering how much he was never at the dorm. (He couldn't pick up any.)

When he returned to the dorm as Haechan was walking in himself on Friday, Jaemin didn’t immediately go to his bed. Haechan immediately drops his bag onto his bed and starts lifting his sweater. Jaemin’s brows furrow. And he looks away.

“It’s okay you know. I don’t need privacy or anything,” Haechan chuckles.

Jaemin nods and tries not to show how embarrassed he is as he makes his way over to his bed and places his bag down. After a moment, he walks to his desk and leans against the chair as he looks at Haechan.

“You’re never here,” he says. So casually yet the tone takes a whole different turn than he means it to. It comes out a little more accusingly than he would have liked but he doesn’t stress about it when Haechan looks at him sheepishly.

“I know,” he replies. Rubbing his hand behind the back of his neck. He’s nervous, but why?

“Where do you go?” Jaemin asks when the other doesn’t seem like he’s going to just give more information willingly.

“I didn’t want to freak you out,” his roommate starts and then he sighs and ruffles his hair. His eyebrows peak; they’re thick and brown which means that the head of colour on his head isn’t natural (though with how much it seems to match his skin tone, Jaemin could have been easily fooled.) 

“How would you freak me out?”

“My boyfriend goes here. He has a dorm room to himself, so I spend some nights there,” Haechan explains. “I didn’t know if me being gay would freak you out or make things awkward.”

“It doesn’t,” Jaemin replies simply. Then, “Why didn’t you get a dorm room together then?” 

Haechan laughs then but Jaemin doesn’t think he’s said anything funny.

“His mom is very against the idea of the two of us spending nights alone together. So, she went and filled in his form and requested he have a room alone.”

“That isn’t very smart though.”

“No, not really. Then again, he says that she thinks the college is strict. Curfews and people needing to be in their rooms at certain times or they would be in trouble.” He shrugs like it’s nothing. “We don’t tell her she’s wrong of course.”

“So, then it’s just that? You’re not like going clubbing or drinking past your limits?” Jaemin asks for clarification and Haechan snorts.

“Mark would kill me if I drank as much as beyond tipsy. He’s all very protective and stuff.” He doesn’t need to ask to figure out that Mark is the boyfriend. He also feels a little more relieved now that he knows his roommate isn’t in all that much danger. 

“Do you want to go out with us tonight?”

Jaemin looks at him. He was just about to get started on an assignment. Maybe check up on the news and see if he could find anything out of the ordinary. It’s been a while since he looked anything up and despite having been here for three weeks, he had yet to check the local news in this area.

“Mark and I are going to this party. Do you want to come with us?”

He shakes his head and smiles. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Shrugging, the other doesn’t try to persist. Instead, he changes his shoes and then looks at Jaemin. “No need to wait up. I’m going back with Mark,” he informs and then he’s gone.

The silence of the dorm is sort of refreshing. He supposes the fact that Haechan staying out most nights was cool because it was basically like having a room of his own. He shifts in his desk chair and pulls open his laptop and between research for the assignment and the referencing, he occasionally checks pulls up all and any news sites around the area. Surprisingly, there’s barely anything. Not even that many muggings or robberies.  _ Maybe it is as safe as dad said _ , he thinks as he closes the sites and goes back to the assignment.

*

Needing to desperately stretch his legs as much as he needed a drink, he slips out of the room, keeping the door closed but unlocked as he makes his way down the corridor of his floor. Two corners away is a vending machine he discovered which actually sold iced coffee. He thought it to be a blessing when he discovered it and found himself there most nights.

A chill ran up his arm as he realized how quiet the floor was. The past two Friday evenings were never this quiet. Usually you could hear the blasting of music from the other side of the door in one of the rooms or a bunch of arguing as a group of guys played  _ mario-karts _ (you could tell because often you could hear a  _ fuck you, luigi _ from one of the players. Never had it been a  _ fuck you, mario _ .)

The machine is a hassle. He keeps trying to get it to accept his bill but not once would it take. Jaemin didn’t want to give up though. He needed this coffee. Especially considering that it is the last one.

A loud crash comes from somewhere to his left and without meaning to, his head whips in the direction of the sound. The end of the corridor is dark. The lights seemed to not be working. And he swears there’s a breeze even though seconds ago, it wasn’t there. His skin crawls with goosebumps and he silently curses himself for not bringing his shoulder bag with the weapon. Usually he always kept it on him but he didn’t think he needed it. And he continued to hope that he didn’t. 

He didn’t need the coffee. He really isn’t this desperate.

Without a second thought about it, he sprints back in the direction of his room. Rounding the second corner, he takes a look behind him and completely crashes into something hard. He knows it’s not a wall because when he ran through corridors, he had the habit of keeping one hand on the wall so he felt the corner before he turned it. He allows his arms to go first, bracing himself for the fall. He doesn’t even care to take note of the burn along his elbows as he lifts his head to take a look at what he bumped into.

Or rather  _ who _ .

“In a rush?” the boy smirks. He’s tall, Jaemin notes, but he couldn’t be any taller than him. It may just be the angle from which he was looking at the male. He carried an air of confidence even from where he was and with the lights above shining directly on him, it emphasized the paleness of this boy. Dark black hair falling over one eyebrow and a path showing his other, his eyes shone. His eyes were small, maybe the same as his. Yet there was something about them that didn’t settle well with Jaemin.

“Not at all,” he finally says as he pushes himself up off the ground. The boy stands one way and Jaemin eyes him warily. “Are you?”

“Does it matter?” the boy retorts. He tilts his head, and his hair shifts to the ground. 

“I think it does.”

“I’m needing an iced coffee, if you must know,” he informs and inwardly, Jaemin sighs. There goes his iced coffee. “What about you?”

He furrows his brows. “I wanted an iced coffee,” he says and moves past the boy. He has his hand on the handle and it’s already open when the boy speaks up again.

“Are there no more?” 

He considers lying for a moment. And then that moment passes. “There is. Just the one. Don’t try a note. It won’t take it,” Jaemin says and with that, he walks into his room and shuts his door. “Weird,” he mumbles and returns to his laptop. 

But he still can’t get that boy’s eyes out of his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Haechan arrives in the room as Jaemin’s about to leave. 

“Ah, I caught you in time,” Haechan smiles. “Which route do you take to campus?” he asks and Jaemin wonders if the other is thinking of walking with him to that side. He wonders if Haechan would be done in time considering he had to get to class like right now (their dorm building is closest to campus. He could wake up half an hour before a class and still get there early.)

“I take the elevator. Near the vending machine. I was actually just about to head that side. Why?”

“I tried coming up that side. There’s all this yellow tape and stuff because a couple of vending machines three turns over all fell over and they’re stacked or something. So that way is blocked. We have to take the other route. When’s your class?”

 _Something must have happened_ , he thinks, brows furrowing as he recalls the events from last night. He wonders whether there is a paper for the university and whether they’d cover what happened. 

Jaemin checked his phone. “It’s in fifteen minutes.”

“Alright. Let me just grab a jacket,” he says, already shifting through his side of the closet. He pulls out a black hoodie that has _sinners_ in all caps, big red letters and slips it on before grabbing his bag. He turns to Jaemin and nods. “Come on.”

When they step outside the room, there’s a boy waiting. He’s dressed in a black hoodie with a denim jacket over and he’s got a foot against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his track pants. His hair is a dark, dirty brown and when he looks up, his eyes immediately fall onto Haechan and he’s smiling. With the way he’s smiling, all teeth and eyes, and he looks like he’s just been given a dose of loopy gas, Jaemin guesses this is Mark. 

Jaemin wouldn’t have guessed he was foreign.

“I told you not to wait. Your class is in five minutes,” Haechan scolds as he hooks his arm with Mark’s. “Jaemin,” Haechan says, “This is Mark. My lousy listener of a boyfriend. Mark, this is my roommate, Jaemin.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Mark says and he’s still smiling so maybe he actually means it so Jaemin repeats his words, only softer and with a smaller, less _there_ smile but neither male acknowledges it as Haechan tugs on Jaemin’s sleeve with his other hand and the three of them take a right as they start walking. 

“You can get to campus this way?” Jaemin asks in surprise.

Mark nods. “Yeah. It’s closer for me but further for you guys. I’m a floor down and closer to that side of the building. It’s also why Hyuck sleeps over by me sometimes.”

“Hyuck?” Jaemin asks, feeling a little dumb with the look Mark gives him then.

“You make it sound like I’m exploiting you,” Haechan scoffs and then looks at Jaemin and smiles like he’s forgotten something. “My name’s Donghyuck. I like going by Haechan, but Mark doesn’t call me that because he knew me before I could introduce myself as Haechan,” he explains and Jaemin only nods. He doesn’t exactly know what to say so he doesn’t say anything at all.

He follows behind them and then Mark and Haechan greet him when they split ways and Jaemin finds himself tired long before he takes a seat in Political History. The professor is surprisingly young and up until now, Jaemin never really took much notice. But now that he was filling in with the rest of his class and he ended up at the back, he couldn’t really see the screen which meant he found himself focusing on everything else. 

Professor Qian is tall but not taller than Jaemin who, having stood near him before, found that he had at least a point-one metre on him. Though his hair, a dark brown that stood out against his pale skin, was parted more to right, the professor gelled it in a way that it stood up and out of his face, displaying his forehead and fairly thick eyebrows Jaemin swears looks like he has them done. It even emphasized the smallness (or perhaps the thinness) of his face. Even more surprisingly, it showed the assortment of piercings the professor had and his paleness certainly did remind him of the boy from last night.

“Mr Na,” Professor Qian calls out and Jaemin looks forward. The class has ended and half of the people have already gone. “Might I have a word with you?”

Nodding, Jaemin gathers his things and makes his way to the front where Professor Qian stood. He was smiling, so Jaemin figured whatever it is he’s been called for could most certainly not be bad. 

“Mr Qian?”

“Please,” Professor Qian laughs like Jaemin’s just said a joke, “I insisted on the first day that all my students call me Kun.” Jaemin frowns but nevertheless nods. Kun smiles then. “I read your paper.”

“You did? But—”

“You submitted early, so I read it early,” Kun says simply, “And really it was amazing. I enjoyed the read. Just thought to inform you.” He smiles like he’s received the greatest gift in the world. Jaemin only nods and leaves once he’s been dismissed but stops just outside the door and turns around. Kun’s already behind him but he doesn’t jump back.

“Sir, does the university have a newspaper?” Jaemin asks and then after a moment, “Or a news site that’s managed by the students?”

The professor looks surprised for a moment but then that surprise morphs into curiosity that runs through the smile the elder’s lips pull into. “Yeah, there’s both. Not many people read the paper so the writers and editors of the school paper created the news site. You can find it on the university page under the media if you would prefer that tactic.”

“Really? Thank you so much, sir,” Jaemin says and he struggles to hide the excitement as he dashes off to his next class.

*

As soon as he was done for the day, he made his way to his room and switched on his laptop. He’s still unsure as to whether Haechan is coming to their room or going to Mark’s because he forgot to ask this morning. 

Seconds feel like minutes of hours as he waits for the browser to load and then he’s on the site and he finds the link. There’s no hesitation as he clicks it and waits for the school news site to load. His fingers tap against the desk impatiently.

It comes up and he’s already scrolling. Eyes skimming the articles and more scrolling and stopping and taking information in and then he stops. Leaning back in his chair, he releases a shaky breath as he clasps his hands together. The first article covered the events of last night and what could have possibly happened to have three vending machines all fall over at the same time. This one really just consisted of a bunch of theories. 

The other articles, however, were something else entirely. 

The publication dates were only one or two weeks apart and all covering the same thing; disappearances of kids around the campus. Explanations as to _why_ it was being reported (their parents think they’re here and their friends thought they went home; someone thinks something happened.) Some articles had three people in one while others only had one person. 

He opens a new tab and starts googling each of the kids that went missing. He finds the news site of the school again; it’s the first thing that comes up. Then there are articles covering it from hometowns; how the kids just up and disappeared. None of them were the type to do such a thing. They wouldn’t run away, they wouldn’t do anything crazy so where are they now?

Not once did Jaemin come across an article that says they’ve been found.

The door slams open; Jaemin practically jumps in his seat, shutting his laptop as he turns around where Haechan was walking in, arms full with bags. Mark follows behind him looking absolutely miserable and then he catches Jaemin’s eye and he’s smiling. “He wouldn’t let me help,” he explains. Jaemin nods _okay_.

“You were supposed to help Renjun,” Haechan mutters as he throws everything onto his bed and sighs out in relief. 

“Renjun didn’t want my help,” Mark grumbles. “That’s why I said just give it to me.”

In the midst of their arguing, Jaemin catches sight of a figure by the door and when he looks over, he feels a chill run up and down his spine. Maybe his blood even froze over for a second (not really but you get the point.) The boy seems to notice him as well and when he catches Jaemin’s eye, he tilts his head.

“Ah!” Haechan exclaims. “Jaemin, this is our friend Renjun. Renjun, this is my roommate, Jaemin.”

Jaemin nods. It’s all he can manage as he stares at the boy. Flashes of the night before come back and he’s furrowing his brows without really meaning to.

“Nice to meet you,” Renjun says.

“Likewise,” Jaemin replies, so softly because really, he isn’t even sure he means it.


	4. Chapter 4

He didn’t want to ask anyone about the disappearances. He didn’t trust to ask anyone. For all he knew, he could be asking someone who knew the background; hell, he could very well end up asking a vampire and not have a clue about it. So he kept quiet about it. He would have gone to find out about it from whoever wrote those articles, but every single one seemed to be anonymous. As if that wasn’t odd at all.

Haechan stayed out on Saturdays, only returning Sundays and sometimes it was only to get something and he’d be out again. 

Sometimes Jaemin was okay with it. Other times he found himself locking the door and checking that the windows were shut (yeah, they had windows, and Jaemin never really opened them so Haechan would end up walking in, scolding him and pushing it open. _“If you’re not gonna go outside, you can at least crack open a window. Fresh air, Jaemin-ah.”_ )

Last night when Renjun and Mark left, Jaemin couldn’t  _ not  _ ask. 

“Huh? Renjun and I met during the orientation thing. He and Mark knew each other back in preschool though. Sometime in high school too but then they drifted apart or something,” he explained. And then he continued to bug Jaemin about  _ why  _ he was asking and eventually Jaemin just sighed.

“We ran into each other last night. I heard something down the corridor and freaked and ended up bumping into him.”

Haechan was excited then. “You heard the vending machines falling?” And then his excitement contorted into something of concern. “You could have been in some sort of danger!” Jaemin tried to ask why he thought that exactly and Haechan got all squirmy so that was the end of their conversation. 

Waking up this morning, Jaemin met an empty room and really he wished Haechan would give him a pre warning so he wasn’t asleep with a door that was unlocked and a window partially open. It was cold out and he already planned to go to the library to do some work so he hit the showers and pulled on a hoodie and slipped on a scarf. He opted for his regular sneakers rather than boots and then he grabbed his bag and headed out, locking the door behind him.

He almost turned left but recalled the event yesterday. Unsure as to whether the route had been cleared, he turned right and made his way down. He checks his phone and slips into the elevator when it arrives. His dad hasn’t called him but he left a couple of messages which Jaemin replies to first thing he gets them or first thing before he goes to bed. He informed his dad about the disappearances and his dad seemed unnerved; ‘ _ keep safe!’ _ was his reply and Jaemin sent a heart. 

“You’re Jaemin-ah,” a voice says from beside him. He had picked up on their presence from the elevator, constantly following beside him but he wasn’t sure if the person had been following him or just happened to be walking in the same direction. Jaemin looks up, his other hand grips tight onto the strap of his bag as he looks at the person. The boy was taller than Jaemin, blonde hair all in his face; a face that seemed unsmiling compared to a lot of the people he met thus far. The boy in front of him seemed the type to pull all sorts of faces; it was the vibe he had around him. But you couldn’t always trust a vibe. His small lips were pulled at the one side and after a moment, Jaemin realized that he was being analyzed. 

He narrows his eyes. “And your point?” he asks defensively. And by some miracle the boy’s face morphs until the corners are pulled and Jaemin thinks this boy might just have a natural smirk because although he may try to be smiling, his lips resembled more of a smirk than anything else. 

“Sorry, Jaemin-ah. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says and then he takes a step forward. He has both hands in his pockets and he lowers his head a little until they’re at the same eye level. “Kun-hyung said that you were asking about the news site,” he murmurs. His voice is something else, really. 

“You know Kun?”

The boy rolls his eyes. “You’re really in your own world, huh? Yeah, he’s my professor too. You’re in my Political History class,” he says in a  _ duh _ tone and Jaemin thinks he may just know him from there. He thought the face looked familiar. Small and thin like the rest of him. He seemed young, too. Though that wasn’t any of his business.

“So what about the news site? Why did he talk to you?”

Jutting his head, the boy takes a step back and he’s smirking again. “Let’s grab a coffee and you can throw all your questions at me, Jaemin-ah.” Then, as if they’ve been friends for years, the boy places an arm around Jaemin’s shoulder and that’s how they walk to the coffee shop. It’s a walk that is far from pleasant; he wouldn’t let Jaemin talk (“We’re almost there and then you can talk.” And that would be the end of the three second conversation.) He’d glare every time Jaemin so much as tried to open his mouth so eventually, he gave up.

They arrived at the coffee shop Jaemin had come to his first day here. 

The same girl who served him the last time led them to a window seat and then told them she’d return in the next few minutes; she seemed calmer than the last time. 

“So where do you want to start?”

“Your name would be a good place,” Jaemin suggests. They’re seated across from each other and the longer he stared, the younger the boy seemed. It seemed almost impossible for him to be in a class with him. 

“Oh, well why didn’t you ask sooner?” Jaemin doesn’t admit that he tried to when they were walking to this particular destination. In fact, he decides to pretend he hadn’t tried to talk at all during that walk. “I’m Jisung,” he supplies and Jaemin feels a little better now that there’s a name to the face of the person in front of him.

“Okay, Jisung.” Jaemin stares for a moment and then before he can ask anything, the girl is back and is ready to take their orders. So Jaemin requests a coffee and Jisung asks for a caramel latte. And then it’s just the two of them so Jaemin says again, “Okay, Jisung.” 

Jisung looks at him and Jaemin places it. It’s not that he’s constantly smirking but rather that somehow, Jisung has this constant look of mischief. It’s what makes his face and it’s especially the sort of vibe he gives off. “Okay, Jaemin-ah,” he mimics. Jaemin wonders how old he is.

“Why did Professor Kun talk to you? About what I asked him.”

“I think he said it was the way you asked it. Like the second you left you were going to go and look for the site,” Jisung replies smoothly. 

He doesn’t tell Jisung how he practically did that. Instead, he bites his lip as a silence loops itself around them. Jaemin’s brain is moving; he’s filing through the questions he feels he needs to ask and tossing the ones that are most certainly not worth the bother. 

“One coffee and one caramel latte.” Both are placed down accordingly and she finishes with a  _ enjoy your drinks _ before disappearing to the back. They both reach for the sugar, but Jaemin decides to let the other go first. Four sachets of sugar is plopped into the caramel latte and all Jaemin can do is stare. He wanted to ask  _ but isn’t it sweet enough?  _ He wanted to say that he should cut back the sugar count with the latte. But he doesn’t.

“My brother wrote those articles,” Jisung says almost entirely out of nowhere and he meets Jaemin’s eye. “That’s why Professor Kun told me.”

*

Jisung had to go. His phone rang and he took one look at the caller ID and was chugging down his caramel latte (their drinks were actually cold by the time they got it. Jaemin found it odd but didn’t comment. It got him out of there quickly enough after he paid. Caramel lattes were expensive.) Their conversation ended two questions later and not so much as a hint of an answer to it. 

Why had his brother written it anonymously?  _ He didn’t want eyes on him; people finding out. He didn’t want to get caught like the rest of those he reported on _ .

Where is he now? Can he talk to him?  _ I have to go, but here _ , he’d slid a piece of paper over.  _ My number. Contact me and we can continue this.  _

“Hey, Jaemin.” It was Haechan. 

“Hey,” he greeted softly. He’d been standing outside the dorm building for an hour, he realized once he took a look at the time. He must have lost track. 

Jaemin followed Haechan and they fell into step together. “You okay?” Haechan asks; he sounds suspicious. Jaemin just nods. He didn’t feel like dealing with suspicion. Not right now. 

“What’s that?” Haechan asks. They’re outside the room now. He’s unlocking the door and he nods his head at the piece of paper in Jaemin’s hand. 

“A number,” he replies as Haechan pushes the door open, and turns around with the biggest smile. Confused, Jaemin pulls a face. “What?”

“You made a friend! I’m really proud!” Haechan exclaims and embraces Jaemin for just a second before he pulls away. “We were really starting to worry. You never talk to anyone but myself and Mark was worried you were struggling to fit in but if you made a friend we don’t have to worry so much. I can tell Mark tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow? You’re staying here tonight?” The surprise is difficult to hide.

Haechan looks at him. “Yeah. Is that okay?”

Jaemin nods. Of course it’s okay. Now he doesn’t have to lock the door and Haechan can shut the window. Maybe having a roommate is safer than he thought.

He decides not to say that he hadn’t made a friend.

They clean up and go to bed and it’s the most peaceful sleep Jaemin had since he’s stayed here. And maybe the first he’s gotten a hug in a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

Haechan groans as he walks into their room, Mark following behind and plopping himself down on his boyfriend’s bed before he looks over at Jaemin who sat at his desk, and smiles out a greeting. This past week, Mark’s been here more than Haechan has gone over to him and Jaemin didn’t mind it. Mark would leave when it started getting too late and Haechan stayed here for the night.

“So I heard you made a friend,” Mark starts. Haechan disappeared to the bathrooms so it was just the two of them and maybe the elder (Mark was actually a year ahead of them. Wow) wasn’t comfortable with the silence. Jaemin pitched the idea to Haechan one evening because this had been going on since the beginning of the week and Haechan being who he is, laughed. ( _ “He’s trying to get to know you. You’re not a very open person, Jaemin-ah.” _ )

“Not exactly,” Jaemin admits. He’s writing out notes for one of his upcoming tests. They really didn’t give a damn about you in college. 

Mark hums at this. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Jaemin looks up, “I never contacted him. I haven’t seen him since then either.” Which was true. He had yet to run into Jisung and when he tried to wait after Political History, he wouldn’t be there. He even went to Professor Kun to ask whether Jisung really took the class. (He did.) 

“You should,” Mark insists.

“Should what?”

“Contact him.”

“Why?” Jaemin thought all of this was tiring. He didn’t like having to constantly socialize (he used to, but that was a different time.)

“Because Haechan worries that it’s his fault you won’t make friends,” Mark says. Jaemin’s head whips around so fast, he catches Mark leaning his head back as he releases a sigh. His one hand covers his face while the other supports his weight. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”

“Why would it be his fault?” Jaemin sits up in his chair; paying full attention to the other male now as he waits for a reply. 

Mark lifts his head and then he lifts a shoulder in a half shrug. “Because a lot of people are against the whole gay thing. So a lot of people don’t exactly like him or myself. They’re very against how open we are in public and he worries that they see you with him and that they know you’re his roommate.”

“But…” Jaemin trails off. Eyes calculating; moving one way and the next as he processes this information. He looks at Mark again and continues. “But surely nothing would happen. Right?”

“People close to him have been hurt before because of it. He doesn’t want you to be added to that list.” 

Before their conversation can continue, the door flies open and Haechan walks in. “I found a stray outside the room. Did you hear a knock?” he asks. Renjun steps inside a moment later. He sits next to Mark who is shaking his head.

“We didn’t hear a knock,” he confirms it aloud and Haechan nods. He’s got a towel around his shoulders and his hair is dripping. Mark tells him to take a seat and the other male does so in between Mark’s legs. The latter then takes the towel and starts drying his boyfriend’s hair. Jaemin rolls his eyes, but he can’t help but smile at how sweet the gesture is.

“You guys have a deep conversation?” Renjun asks when nobody says a word. When Jaemin looks up, the other is already looking at him. His eyes are softer than the night they met.

“Not really,” Mark lies easily. 

Jaemin hums in agreement. “I was actually just about to head out,” he says much to his own surprise. Three sets of eyes are on him now, but he only meets Mark’s gaze. “Meeting up with a friend.”

Mark smiles, and when he looks, Jaemin finds Haechan smiling as well.

*

Jisung had a class so Jaemin waited for him outside in the courtyard on one of the benches. He didn’t know  _ why _ he was waiting. He barely understood why he was doing this but with Mark, Haechan  _ and  _ Renjun in the room, there was no turning back now.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, registering for the class but I didn’t know the times and I didn’t want to back down,” is the first thing Jisung says when he reaches Jaemin. “Who has classes until four on a Friday?” 

“Not me.” It’s an automatic reply; one he didn’t mean to say but Jisung rolls his eyes and he’s smiling (sort of? At least Jaemin thinks it's a smile.)

“Yeah because you were smart.”

“Clearly.”

“You contacted me,” Jisung states. 

Jaemin nods dumbly. And then, despite wanting to say something, only seems to nod more. It’s like he forgot how to talk.

“Want to head to that coffee place? After that class I’m really craving a caramel latte.”

“As long as you  _ don’t  _ add four sugars again.”

“It makes it sweet!” Jisung actually whines and Jaemin really cannot get over how young this boy seems. He’s somehow still a child yet when he speaks, you’re reminded that he’s not really that much of a child. 

Nonetheless, Jaemin didn’t plan on changing his mind. “The caramel already makes it sweet.”

“I’ll cut down to three?” Jisung offers and when Jaemin rolls his eyes, Jisung cheers.

This time, the walk isn't as unpleasant. Jisung allows him to speak (allows him, like he’s some sort of slave only permitted to speak at certain times) and that’s how he finds out that Jisung is actually younger than him. He graduated high school early and that’s how he can be in classes with Jaemin. Topics shifted easily from there. They spoke about classes and assignments and Jisung needed help studying for the Political History test coming up and Jaemin said they could study together.

When they got there, the place was practically empty compared to the hustle and bustle there the last two times. Jisung entered first and Jaemin followed and they ended up with the same waitress and at the same table. Jaemin found it coincidental but also extremely odd. 

“I used to come here a lot,” Jisung says suddenly. “It was always this seat and she always served us.” With how low his tone is and the way he avoided Jaemin’s eyes, he decides not to ask who  _ us  _ was. He doesn’t quite know what to say to that either. So instead, he waits until the girl returns with their orders (she didn’t have a name tag. Who works at a place like this and doesn’t have a name tag?)

Jisung eyes Jaemin and takes three sachets. Pleased, Jaemin takes three for his coffee and adds it. The stirring is all that is heard and Jaemin cannot handle it.

“You never answered my last question,” Jaemin tells him without looking up.

“Ah, yeah. It was something about my brother, was it?” Jisung queries like he remembers it; Jaemin stays quiet for a moment longer. A nod of confirmation.

“I asked where your brother is now. That and whether I could talk to him.”

When Jaemin looks up, Jisung’s smiling but it’s not the same as his other smiles. This one is pinched; tight and forced and it doesn’t so much as brush his eyes the way his other smiles had. Jaemin thinks he’s said something wrong because the atmosphere changes then and he knows it’s no thanks to the questions he asked. He doesn’t expect Jisung to answer with the way he looks. But he does.

“I wish that I could let you,” he starts. His shoulders slump and he lowers his head. “But to your first question, I don’t even know the answer,” he murmurs.


	6. Chapter 6

Jisung and Jaemin found talking at the coffee place easier and so they stayed. Jaemin didn’t speak; he waited until Jisung said something first because if he spoke, he thought it would be too disrespectful in this situation. They ordered another round and Jisung nodded like he was ready. When he met Jaemin’s eyes, the latter nodded as well.

“So, you’re saying that he’s gone?”

“I’m saying that he’s missing,” Jisung corrects him sharply. His face shifted into an expression he didn’t recognise and his eyes looked apologetic; Jaemin nodded again to confirm the younger didn’t have to worry about it.

“But the last article was about the other night.”

Jisung nods. “The fallen vending machines. I know.” The finality in his tone gives him away; it puts the pieces together and it hits Jaemin. (It didn’t take a masters to figure it out.) 

“You—”

Jisung hushes him before he can finish his sentence. Lowering his voice, he says, “I need to keep the site going. But I don’t need anyone finding out it was me. I don’t need to get kidnapped the way my brother did.” He moves back in his seat and his eyes are absolutely intense, Jaemin thinks.

“Alright,” he says, just as the girl returns with their orders. These are cold; Jaemin and Jisung share a look. They chug down their drinks and this time, Jisung pays. They leave the place together.

“So the study thing,” Jisung starts.

“You want to start tomorrow?” Jaemin asks and the younger nods. 

Jisung’s room is on the floor below Jaemin’s one. They walk together until Jisung heads off to his room. The rest of the walk to his own room is quiet, and it definitely does not prepare him for when he walks into the room; Haechan seated at his own desk staring at a textbook while Mark laid across the bed, laptop propped up on his stomach and seated on the floor, Renjun paged through a manga. All of them look up at the sound of the door opening and they all continue to stare as Jaemin stands still in the doorway.

“Am I interrupting anything?” he feels the need to ask. They all shake their heads.

Hesitantly, Jaemin closes the door behind him. Just as he does, Haechan stands and sits down beside Mark who sits up himself. Renjun proceeds to flip through the manga.

“Jaemin-ah, Mark and I want to run something by you.”

They wait until he’s seated on the bed. Haechan smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “So you know how I stay out some nights,” he starts. Jaemin doesn’t answer though. He senses that this isn’t an  _ answer if you can _ but rather a  _ wait until I’m done _ . “Well, I was thinking that perhaps, if you were comfortable with it of course, whether Renjun could stay here during those nights while I stay with Mark-hyung.”

His eyes flicker between the three and he realizes how serious of a question this was; his answer really mattered. Of course he wanted to say no, but taking in Mark, he caught sight of worry lines creased into his forehead and his hands gripping at the material of his pants. He really looked way more nervous about Jaemin saying no than Renjun did.

No, when Jaemin looked at Renjun, the other only stared straight back. There wasn’t an ounce of emotion. Until their eyes made contact; as sharp and soft as they’ve ever been the last few times Jaemin dared to make contact with them, there was something there that he couldn’t place. It was enough to make him realize how desperate the three really were.

“Sure,” Jaemin says finally as he meets Haechan’s eyes. He doesn’t ask questions; he doesn’t feel like he should. Not now at least. Haechan and Mark are cheering as the words leave his mouth. 

It’s only when the two are packing up their things and Haechan grabs a couple of his things that Renjun looks at Jaemin (who had moved to his bed with his back against the wall) and clears his throat. “Thank you,” he says, but Jaemin is stunned silent so he nods in acknowledgement. He didn’t think the other’s voice could really be that soft and yet when he spoke just now, it—

Well, it reminded Jaemin of Jeno. 

Renjun leaves the room with Mark and Haechan, but he returns moments later with a bag slung over his shoulder. He seemed unsure of himself as he stood by the door, Jaemin noted. It is almost like he was trying to decide whether he should actually be doing this.

“It’s okay you know,” Jaemin says, the words leaving his lips before he has a chance to process it properly in his head. To say Renjun looks surprised is an understatement. Confusion swirls in his eyes. Jaemin nods at the bed. “I’ve already agreed so it’s okay to walk in. Not much sense being nervous now.”

“No,” Renjun murmurs. “I suppose there isn’t.”

*It’s after one when Jaemin looks at the time. He sits up in bed, ready to go and check the door and the window when he recalls the night before. But when he looks over, Haechan’s bed is empty. 

Reluctantly, Jaemin climbs out of bed and makes his way to the door. He takes one final glance around the room (just in case Renjun was on the floor) and then peaks into the hallway. It’s quiet. Unnervingly quiet.

“Renjun?” Jaemin whispers, stepping out into the corridor. It reminded him much of the night he and Renjun actually met, but he quickly pushed that thought away. He needed to focus. Looking up ahead into nothing but pure darkness, he wonders if maybe the boy hadn’t just gone back to his room. And then he tells himself that that thought is ridiculous. He seemed to have a really good reason (not that Jaemin actually knew said reason) for not wanting to be in the room with his roommate (he managed to pick up when the three were murmuring across the room) and so he really wouldn’t  _ just _ go back. Would he?

Jaemin turns on the flashlight of his phone and proceeds to walk. The light shifts unsteadily and it’s only when he’s already about halfway down the corridor that he realizes that he’s shaking. “Renjun?” he calls again and all he wants is a response. 

He turns his head to look behind him, swearing that for a moment, he sensed movement. He shines his light in the direction he’d been coming from, and frowns when seeing nobody there. So he turns back around and tenses.

There’s a figure at the end of the hall. 

Some of the lights switch on; they flicker as the figure moves forward and once again, Jaemin cusses at himself for not even remotely being prepared. (He’s trying to convince himself that he doesn’t need to be; not right now. That’s a human and in no way, a vampire.)

(It’s hard to do so when the figure is moving faster than Jaemin is blinking.)

The only sensible thing he can think to do (and is most likely due to the panic and never ending beat of his racing heart) is run. So he does; he turns around and makes a dash for his room.

Not even halfway back and something grabs at him; turns him around and there’s the unmistakable flash of bared fangs and pale skin and all Jaemin can manage is to get his arms on their shoulders and he struggles. He struggles as he tries to push them off; to get them away from him. They’re inches apart and Jaemin’s arms are shaking against the pressure and every time they come close enough, he gives them a shove; he’s gritting his teeth and honestly really trying. Pushing back every emotion that’s trying to surface, he silently begs himself to last. He  _ can’t _ let this happen; absolutely  _ cannot  _ let it get him. He would not go down this way.

He’s just about to kick out his leg when out of nowhere, something hits their head and they look back.  _ He  _ Jaemin thinks, but then shakes his head.  _ Don’t just assume _ . A water bottle rolls across the ground, having fallen. And then a hand is grabbing onto his and he’s being pulled in the direction of the room. When Jaemin looks back, he sees them. The figure is still standing still, almost like he’s frozen. And then his head whips around and Jaemin swears he locks eyes with them and he almost wants to scream as the  _ person _ runs toward him and—

Well, he didn’t even have time to acknowledge who had grabbed his hand. He should be concerned, but really the fact that they were taking him to his room was a sort of relief before he was even allowing himself to feel it. He turns his head just as he feels something brush against his shoulder; the  _ person _ , he thinks. But it’s then that the door swings open and he’s pulled, quite harshly may he had, into the room before the door slams shut. A thud echoes as something bumps into the door and all Jaemin can manage to do is stare blankly at the door. He’s barely aware of the hand on his shoulder until he hears, “Are you okay?”

When he looks up, he comes face to face with Renjun. He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I’m fine,” Jaemin says and then he steps away from the other male’s touch and to the door where he turns the key (he leaves it in sometimes) until the sound of the door clicking echoes through the room. When he turns around, Renjun is frowning. “I’m fine,” he insists again and then accusingly, “Where were you?”

Renjun’s eyebrows lift for a moment before they furrow and Jaemin thinks he looks almost apologetic.  _ Almost _ . “I went to get a bottle of water. I usually get it before I go to bed but I forgot.” He pauses and as Jaemin watches him, it’s clear the other was trying to decide if he really was okay. “Why did you come out?”

“I was going to lock the door,” Jaemin replies simply but even he hears how not-okay his words sound. “You weren’t in bed so I went looking for you.”

“But why?”

“Because,” Jaemin groans, “What if something happened? I’d be held responsible and Haechan and Mark would be hurt and it would be my fault any of it happened because I didn’t know you went out.”

Everything is quiet for a moment and then Renjun clears his throat. “I’m sorry,” he says softly. 

“For what?”

“With that logic, what happened just now is my fault. And Haechan would hate me if something happened to you and that automatically puts me in a bad place with Mark and it would be my fault because you came looking for me,” he states as he makes his way over to Haechan’s bed. Jaemin sits down on his own; he clasps his hands together in the hopes they stop shaking.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Renjun says after a moment.

Jaemin nods. He is too. 

They go back to bed. Jaemin wakes up once more; Renjun’s still awake and when he catches the other start to get out of bed, he looks over, closes the window and shuts the latch.

Jaemin sleeps again; he doesn’t wake up a third time.


	7. Chapter 7

Having encountered a vampire for the second time only reminded Jaemin how real they were. Sometimes he found it hard to believe that any of it was real; vampires, hunters or anything residing in that world. But now it put him even more on edge. He could barely contain himself. He felt like he was about to burst at any moment. 

“You wake up early on a Saturday,” Renjun notes the next morning. He’s pulling on a sweatshirt and his hair is dripping; he’s been to the showers.

Jaemin’s brows pull inquisitively. “ _ I _ wake up early?” He practically yawns through the sentence. “You’ve already been to the showers.” Renjun shrugs but doesn’t say anything. Jaemin stands up and walks over to the cupboard.

“Thanks,” Renjun says smoothly.

Jaemin, in the midst of pulling on a sweatshirt, turns around. He doesn’t ask why he’s being thanked. He still hasn’t asked why the other needed to stay here in the first place. Though he doesn’t think he will; not for a while.

“Thank you too,” Jaemin replies and then pushes his head through the hole. “You leaving?” he asks when he turns around again to find Renjun standing, bag slung over one shoulder and hand in his hair.

“Yeah. Practice.” 

Before Jaemin can ask, Renjun nods a greeting and he’s out of the room in seconds flat. Jaemin sighs.

*

Jaemin is on his way back from the bathrooms when an arm catches his wrist. Turning around, he finds Jisung looking at him with such a stern expression, he feels as if he’s done something wrong.

“Jaemin-ah, you didn’t answer your phone,” he says. Jaemin nods his head in the direction of his room and, seeming to understand, Jisung nods; they start walking. 

“I went to the showers,” Jaemin states. “Did you phone?”

Jisung nods his head vigorously. “I’ve  _ been _ calling, and you weren’t picking up so I came to check,” he informs him. His tone is firm and his eyes are flashing when Jaemin looks into them. He frowns; he honestly had no idea  _ why  _ Jisung seemed so concerned about his not answering. And then he tries to justify it by tying it to the disappearances and his brother disappearing. Perhaps he thought that had happened to him.

“Check on me?” he queries in the hopes of getting the younger to confirm his thoughts.

“Some people are looking for their friends,” he says. “Last night, there was a party somewhere on campus and a lot of people went. Some people’s roommates and friends haven’t returned,” he informs.

“I never went to a party though,” Jaemin reminds him. “I came back to my room.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know yet whether they just stayed out or…” Jisung doesn’t finish that thought and Jaemin doesn’t need him to, to know what he’s thinking. So his hunches were correct. 

“So you just came to check if I’m still around?” He opens the door and walks in, keeping it opening for Jisung to follow. He gestures with the tilt of his head for the younger to go ahead and take a seat on his bed (thank goodness he made it up before he left.)

He pulls out a sweatshirt from the cupboard and changes into it

“I came to tell you that we’re going out tonight,” Jisung says like it’s just that simple and Jaemin has to stop himself from letting his head whip around. He turns to look at the younger boy who stares up innocently and Jaemin just knew how serious he was. 

“You come around claiming the possibility,” Jaemin pauses as he goes to close the room door before turning his gaze back onto Jisung. “You come here claiming the possibility that people were kidnapped at a party and you want to  _ go out _ ?”

“Yes.” His expression is so sincere and his tone is so open that Jaemin has to stop from facepalming. 

“No, Jisung. Not happening.”

“Jaemin,  _ please _ . Can we just go out for one night? You can decide whether you want to the next time or not after at least an hour,” Jisung pleads. The desperation is loud and clear in his voice and then, as if to add some sort of cherry on the top, he murmurs, “Please, hyung.”

The room door opens as Jaemin is considering it and Haechan walks in, whining about some sort of unfairness in the world. Mark follows behind silently and when he takes a seat on Haechan’s bed, he catches sight of Jisung.

“You must be Jaemin’s friend,” he says, effectively pulling Haechan out of his rant long enough to notice the younger male and practically squeal.

“You’re real! Ah, I’m so glad Jaemin-ah made a friend!” he exclaims, holding out a hand which Jisung accepts after a passing look at Jaemin who only nodded. He found it funny; Jisung in a situation where he didn’t know how to react. (Was there really a particular way to act?) “I’m his roommate, Haechan.”

“Jisung,” the younger offered curtly. 

“Nice to meet you, Jisung,” Mark says from where he’s seated. From where he’s standing, Jaemin catches sight of Mark’s hand curled around the material of Haechan’s sweater as he eases the boy to sit down beside him. “I’m Mark.”

When a silence begins to loom over them, Haechan takes control. “What brings you by?”

Jisung’s face lights up like he’s just remembered. “I came to ask Jaemin if we could go out tonight.”

“Ah, really? What did he say? Did he say yes?” Haechan crossed questions before looking over at Jaemin. “You should. It would be a good experience. Did you say yes?”

Jaemin looks between the three and then shakes his head. “I was about to agree when you guys came in,” he explains. Jisung jumps up.

“Really?”

Jaemin looks at him and nods. “Really.” Jisung smiles.

They stay in the room for the rest of the afternoon as they go over their work for Political History. Jisung is clever; more so than he seems to let on, but he really is. He has a bad habit of trying to distract himself and so, constantly, Jaemin has to help bring his attention back to the work. But every hour, they would quiz each other and Jisung got almost everything correct. Haechan and Mark left an hour into their study session; Haechan let him know that he wouldn’t be back and Jisung gave a questioning look but didn’t ask.

“We should get going now if we don’t want to stay out late,” Jisung says as he glances at his watch and Jaemin has flashes of the night before.

“Yeah,” he says, “We should.” He closes his book and walks over to the closet where he searches it, pulling out two jackets. He tosses the white denim jacket at Jisung who catches it with ease. “It’s getting colder now,” Jaemin says simply as he pulls on the blue denim jacket over his hoodie. He tugs at the ends and then looks at Jisung who stands up as well and they leave the room. Jaemin locks the door behind them.

“So, do you know where we’re going?” Jaemin glances at Jisung out of the corner of his eye. 

“A bar,” Jisung replies immediately. Jaemin’s eyebrows lift.

“A bar? Can you even get into one?” Jaemin asks and instead of replying, Jisung chuckles so instead, he continues. “How far is it?” he asks because by the sound of it, Jisung had a specific bar in mind. 

“Not that far. We might just have to catch a taxi or something,” Jisung says.

“Or I could drive,” Jaemin offers and the way Jisung’s eyes light up at the idea, when they get downstairs, Jaemin leads Jisung to his car. (He’s really lucky he keeps his car key in his pocket all the time.) He unlocks the car and Jisung’s in the passenger seat before Jaemin even closes the door. He tilts the GPS toward Jisung and nods.

“So type in the place and let’s go.”


	8. Chapter 8

The place seems huge from the outside. 

After Jaemin found a parking spot, he and Jisung climbed out and made their way over to the building and to say that it was huge was like saying a palace was big. The building is bigger than any other bar Jaemin has seen before (not that he could  _ ever  _ compare the inside of it to the insides of bars.) Jisung walks in like it’s nothing and Jaemin can’t believe there isn’t a bouncer like the bars he’s seen, read or heard of. 

The inside is a little smaller than the exterior of the building but it’s still quite huge and Jaemin just stops as they walk through the doorway and he looks around, taking it all in. For a bar, it was actually quite exquisite. From it’s wooden floors shining up at him to the tables all positioned couples of feet apart from each other on the left side of the room. Pillars aligned the right side of those tables and some of the seats were occupied. In the far corner of that side of the room was a couch (an actual couch  _ set _ , actually. Two one seaters on either end and the two-seater between them; in the middle and what they all faced was a coffee table covered with books and coasters and there was a man seated there on his laptop.) And when Jaemin turned his head a little, the right side of the room divided. Half of it was the bar counter that ran up and then turned, continuing on down the other half of the room that only seemed to go further on. There were tables there too and if he squinted, Jaemin could make out a set of stairs. His eyes flickered over to the bar counter where seats aligned and behind it were tons of machines and cupboards and all sorts of menus along the wall and there were pillars (thinner than the ones near the tables) that seemed to divide every few seats.

A man stands behind the counter, wiping a glass. He’s tall and pale and his hair and eyebrows stood out against his skin. When he looked up, his eyes narrowed on Jaemin for only a second before he looked away. 

“‘Sup boss!” Jisung exclaims, taking a seat at the counter. Jaemin follows behind him awkwardly and after a moment of hesitation, he takes a seat beside the younger. “Jaemin-ah,” Jisung says, “This is Taeyong. He’s the bartender here and one of the best. Taeyong-ah, this is Jaemin. He’s a friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” Taeyong says; the sound of his voice surprises Jaemin. It’s soft and melodic and much different to what he would have tried to guess based on the male’s outward appearance. He wore a  _ metallica _ sweater with an image that had Jaemin scrunching his face. Taeyong snickered.

“What can I get you guys?” Taeyong asks, then looks at Jaemin. “Jisung doesn’t bring many friends around,” he informs. 

“Were you friends with his brother?” Jaemin asks before he can stop himself. The way both males tense has him regretting his decision to ask the question in the first place. He should have been more wary and  _ aware _ . He starts to apologise but then Taeyong smiles.

“Yeah, I was.”

Jaemin nods. “Do you only have alcoholic drinks or can I order a coke?” He asks and again, Taeyong laughs. It’s odd because when first seeing him, he had one of the most serious expressions Jaemin had ever come across so to see him laughing was something entirely unexpected. A glass of coke is placed in front of him a moment later, and a glass with clear, sparkling liquid is placed in front of Jisung who accepts it with a smile. 

“He always orders sprite,” Taeyong supplies when catching sight of Jaemin’s expression. Jaemin looks at him and then they’re looking at each other. Taeyong’s eyes are remarkably dark but the aura around them; around  _ him _ is something between comfort and alertness. It’s like Jaemin didn’t know whether to keep his guard up or place it down. Taeyong moves back. “You sure you don’t want a drink? An actual one? You look like you’ve had a rough night.”

Jaemin wants to remind Taeyong that it is night, but then realizes that he must be referring to the night before. He stands up and takes a step back. His actions are automatic as his brain flies into process mode. Surely it’s a coincidence that Taeyong was referring to the previous night; there’s no way he could possibly be a vampire, much less the one from last night. That vampire Jaemin barely caught sight of; he wouldn’t be able to recognise in broad daylight. He only remembers fangs. As he lifts his gaze from the floor, he sees Jisung standing between the seats, a look of concern crossing his face. When Jaemin looks at Taeyong, his brows meet at his forehead and there are creases along it as he frowns.

“Jaemin?”

He clears his throat. “Sorry,” he mutters. “It’s just a little unsettling that you’re talking about last night.”

“Jaemin-ah, did something happen?” Jisung asks him and although he tries to shrug it off and take his seat again, Jisung doesn’t let him. A hand firmly grips his shoulder and he and Jisung are face to face as the other glares at him. When Jaemin tries to move, Jisung’s grip tightens. He sighs and lowers his head.

“I got attacked, okay?” He murmurs, trying to keep it between the two of them and  _ not _ include Taeyong. Jisung’s eyes go wide for a moment before they return to their normal size and his mouth pulls.

“You got  _ attacked _ ?” Jisung asks, and he doesn’t bother lowering his voice; he doesn’t seem to mind that Taeyong can hear them. “Last night?” he demands. With much reluctance, Jaemin nods.

“Where?” Jisung asks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Last night,” Jaemin says again. “In the dorms.”

“ _ In _ the dorms?”

“Yes,” he says and then he sighs. “I went to check something and nearly got attacked. I wasn’t hurt and my roommate’s friend got to me in time. We got to the room before anything could happen,” he explains. By now Jisung dropped his hand from Jaemin’s shoulder and he took a step back. He sits back down in the seat and looks at Jaemin as if to tell him to take his seat again as well. So, he does.

“You’re sure you didn’t get hurt?” Jisung murmurs, looking at Jaemin again. His eyes are so intense that Jaemin almost flinches. “Did you see your attacker? What did you see?”

Jaemin spares a sideway glance at Taeyong. “A flash of white,” Jaemin says as he looks back at Jisung. 

Jisung frowns. “A flash of white?” He asks, eyes calculating and his eyes move quickly as he seems to take in every aspect of Jaemin’s face. He bites his lip and it’s like you could see the way he was trying to figure something else. What it was, Jaemin didn’t really know. 

Until he hears Taeyong snort. Jisung and Jaemin turn to him and Taeyong smirks.

“You saw a vampire.”


	9. Chapter 9

“You know about them?” Jaemin asks in surprise.

“ _ You  _ know about them?” Jisung’s voice takes a lilt in surprise; his head whipped around to look at Jaemin who looked over at him, surprise matching the other’s. 

“It wasn’t his first encounter,” Taeyong noted, earning their attention again. Jisung tilts his head and Jaemin confirms it with a nod of his head.

“By the sounds of it , you don’t  _ just  _ know about it,” Jaemin notes aloud. 

“And neither do you,” Jisung murmurs. “Are you like us?” he asks, turning in his seat so he could fully face Jaemin. 

He narrows his eyes before his lips part and he leans against the counter. His eyes flicker between the two before he makes eye contact with Jisung long enough to flash a smile as realization hits him. “Are you guys hunters?” His voice lowered involuntarily; a habit he seemed to pick up even when he was little and talking to his dad about this world (which was what he called it for anyone that were not just mundane  _ norms _ .)

“So you know then,” Taeyong confirms, refilling Jisung’s glass. “How?”

“My dad. He told me about them when I was little. I didn’t really believe him until my first encounter with one,” he supplies. And then shoots a questioning look at Jisung. “If you’re one, how come you never told me?”

“I thought you were a human. Though the fact that you were asking about the disappearances had me a little iffy.”

“He’s the one that asked Kun about sites? So, you were the one who was looking into the disappearances,” Taeyong says and when Jaemin looked, the other male’s eyes were wide but he couldn’t figure out the reason behind them. Then Taeyong looks back at Jisung and his face scrunches up a little. “He’s the one you weren’t sure about?”

“Taeyong!”

“Wasn’t sure about what?” Jaemin asks. 

“He thought you might have been a vampire. He’s been pining me since he met you to bring you here so I could tell him whether you were or not. I could tell you weren’t from the moment you walked in,” he says in confidence and the aura around him and his stance alone even carried the confidence and somehow he managed to look relaxed at the same time. “ _ However _ , I did not expect you to be a hunter.” There’s a twinkle of a smile in his eye.

“My dad was one I think. He told me about them.”

“Every hunter has a purpose. And training. Do you have either of those?” 

“I have a purpose. I only have a little bit of training,” he says and shrugs. “I don’t have the ability my dad had. He could tell the difference between the humans and the vampires with just one look.” 

“It’s a rare gift. Not all hunters have it,” Taeyong says, “But there are quite a few. Most of them are the older generation of hunters.” There’s a pause as Jaemin sips from his drink, Jisung stayed silent and Taeyong seemed to be contemplating something. Then, as if deciding to say it, he says, “He was one of the best. Still considered to be.”

Jaemin doesn’t need to ask. “You knew him?”

“Yeah. He was called in to train some of the trainees. Is he still alive?”

“He is.” Jaemin smiles.

“Awesome, awesome. He’s a great guy. He deserves all the best so I’m glad that he is.”

They fall into another silence before Jisung and Taeyong fall into a conversation where the younger asked him something regarding the vampires and the hunters (probably now that he knew Jaemin  _ knew _ , he felt that he could speak freely) and Taeyong doing his best to answer, but Jaemin wasn’t listening. For some reason, he felt odd.

It was unfair that this man in front of him knew his dad in a world he never really got to know his dad in; not even now because his dad had insisted he go to this college (it was his biggest dream throughout high school and even before then.) He couldn’t even really say it was anyone’s fault but his own. Had he believed his dad when he was younger, he’d probably be a much more prepared and way more experienced and well-taught hunter. Instead, only spending about four years training which was probably  _ nothing _ compared to the other hunters in the world.

He lowers his head and takes another sip.

*

Not wanting to be out far too late, the two left when it started getting darker. When Jaemin zoned back in, Taeyong and Jisung were still talking but then Taeyong asked if Jaemin wanted to be trained. When Jaemin said yes, it was decided that they would schedule their training sessions during the weekend. Then Taeyong pointed out that they should leave before it got too late.

They were halfway back to the college when Jisung finally spoke. Until then, the car ride was exceptionally quiet and really it was for no particular reason. 

“I’m glad you’re not a vampire.”

“I’m glad you’re not one either,” Jaemin replies easily. The rest of the car ride is silent but now the tension in the air; the unspoken words that were dangling in the air were no longer there.

When they get back to the dorms, Jisung and him part ways and then Jaemin finds himself tensely walking down the corridor as he walks to his room. Though Jisung offered to walk him up, Jaemin kindly declined. He didn’t need Jisung walking up here with him and then walking back to his own room alone. 

“Ah, you’re here,” he hears as he enters the room. 

He closes the door behind him. “You’re here,” Jaemin notes. “Did you get your water bottle this time?” he asks and when glances sideways, Jaemin thinks he catches a sight of a hint of a smile across Renjun’s face. His eyes are so much softer than they were the first time they met and so much softer than the evening before. It puts him a little at ease.

“Yeah, I did. Don’t worry,” the other assures. Jaemin nods as he hangs up his jacket and tugs his hoodie off before placing it in his cupboard and turning to face Renjun. 

Cross-legged on Haechan’s bed, he was surrounded by pages; all of them seeming to be colour coordinated. In that moment, Jaemin completely forgets the night they met; he forgets the intense eyes and the smirk and the flickering lights and the eerie scene as he stares at the male who in that moment, looked so stressed and so  _ human _ . From his hands as he paged through a textbook to the soft breaths that seemed to flow through him. How soft his eyes were as they flickered between the pages and as he took in all the information. He bit his lip and his brows furrowed and he looked so fucking human in such a beautiful way that it made Jaemin curious.

“Do you have a big test or something?” he asks as he makes his way over to his bed. He asks it to pull himself out of whatever daze Renjun managed to pull him into. Even without knowing it.

“Yeah. I had a study session with some people from class but I wanted to go over some stuff. Thought I should wait for you to get back.”

“You didn’t even know if I was staying out the night,” Jaemin says, unable to hide the surprise that slips into his voice. He’s still looking at Renjun who looks up at him then and he shrugs.

“Not to be that person that seems to judge, but you don’t seem like the type,” Renjun says. “Especially if you know there’s a high chance that there will be a stranger sleeping in your room.”

For whatever reason that was beyond him, Jaemin finds himself smiling.


	10. Chapter 10

He hasn’t seen Haechan in weeks. 

The week prior to Renjun’s staying over, they exchanged numbers (which according to Haechan had been way overdue) and so, he’s been constantly updated with whether his roommate would be coming home or not. Of course, it was especially due to their overlapping class schedules which kept them from running into each other when they stopped by their room between classes. 

This also means that Renjun has spent a lot of weeks around the room. Not that Jaemin could really complain because for one, he did initially agree to this arrangement and for another, it didn’t really bother him that the other male was around. Sometimes it was distracting. 

The only thing he worried about was whether his roommate was still alive and okay. As per the schedule, Jaemin has been training alongside Jisung for about two weeks now with the help of Taeyong, and of course, because Jisung was ahead of him in training, occasionally him as well. In these two weeks, Jisung has managed to constantly keep the student site uptodate (Jaemin never really brought it up, even when they were alone. He didn’t want to talk aloud in the event they could be overheard.) The amount of disappearances that occurred only increased and he ended up texting Mark (because Haechan insisted they exchange numbers in case he couldn’t be reached) who he hasn’t heard from either. When Mark replied an hour later, Jaemin sighed in relief.

“You did well today,” Taeyong says as he returns from the bathroom. “You know, for only four years of training, you’re actually better than some hunters who have trained for like ten years.” Taeyong wasn’t like Jisung. He complimented and awarded achievements where he thought the person deserved them. Jisung would subtly hint at him being good but sometimes you couldn’t tell whether he was insulting you or whether he was joking (it was always a joke.)

“Is that even possible?” Jaemin asks curiously. 

“Usually when they get to their fifth or sixth year, they believe they’ve accomplished all that they can and they tend to stop training the way they should. So really while you have your four years, you’ve kept training. Maybe you didn’t have the same advantages or tools or luxuries or environment they had but you continued. By the time you’re in your sixth year, they’d be stuck there even though they’ve been a hunter for ten years,” he informs and then he smiles like he’s proud and maybe he is but Jaemin doesn’t want to think that he’s made the other proud because maybe he’s just imagining it. “It’s pretty cool that you only want to improve. I hope you don’t stop like the rest of them did,” he says.

“I hope so too.” Jaemin smiles.

“Sorry you’re out so late,” he apologises when he checks the time. “Will you be okay to head out on your own?”

Jaemin nods. “Yeah, I will. Thank you.” Jisung didn’t come today. He had a big test for one of his other classes that he was struggling with and so, he and a few other students had a study session for today. He messaged a little before Jaemin started getting ready to inform him that he wouldn’t be able to make it; the session was running later than planned.

Taeyong walked him out; the training room was up the stairs that Jaemin had spotted when he first came here. The upstairs was divided into two sections and the other half happened to be Taeyong’s bedroom (because apparently, he found it easier managing a bar that way.)

He’s just about to climb into his car when he catches sight of a sign. Turning around, he spots a coffee shop two stores away from the bar. Taking a glance at the time, he thinks he has enough time for just a cup so instead, he locks his car again and then heads to the place. It’s completely empty except for a group of people at a table in the corner. Even the employees seemed disinterested.

He gets seated immediately and is thankful when they ask whether he wished for a particular seat. He gets a window seat and a menu is placed in front of him. He doesn’t bother looking at it as he pulls out his phone. After replying to Jisung and Mark, he lifts his head and looks out of the window. There’s a bookstore (a sign;  _ the bookshoppe  _ hovers over it) which, from what he can make out, is still open. He starts taking in the passersby (which were way less than there were during the day.)

Just as the waiter comes to get his order, he hears his name called out softly. Without even looking up, he knows who it is. He’s spent two weeks in a dorm room with this person (more than two weeks, really, but that’s beside the point.) They’ve been helping each other study and they’ve managed to not once bring up the occurrence of the attack. 

“Renjun?”

The waiter turns to him. “Are you two together?”

Renjun and Jaemin share a look and then Renjun nods. “Yeah. But you can take our orders. I know what I’ll have,” he says and the waiter smiles. He seems pleased with this and so, he does as he’s asked. When he leaves, Renjun takes a seat across from Jaemin and tilts his head. “What brings you here?” he asks.

“I come through on weekends now. I was actually about to leave when I saw this place.” He looks at the other. “What about you?”

“I came through for some things and stopped at the bookstore over there,” he says, nudging his head in the direction of the store across the street. “One of my favourites.”

“You come here often?” Jaemin asks. “How good is their coffee?”

At this, Renjun’s lips pull into one of the widest smiles and Jaemin finds himself flustered. “Their coffee does not disappoint. I promise you that.”

When the waiter returns, he places their drinks down and walks off. Jaemin and Renjun share a smile before passing each other’s drinks over. He grabs a sugar sachet and stirs his coffee. He looks up at Renjun who was already looking at him. They’ve been trading off conversation topics when his phone goes off with a message.

“Check it,” Renjun says. “It’s okay.”

He does. “It’s from Haechan. He’s staying at Mark’s again,” Jaemin informs the other male. Renjun nods and Jaemin locks his phone before looking up. “It’s actually getting pretty late,” he says. “We should head back.” They call the waiter for the bill and he brings it shortly after.

Renjun looks at him, eyebrows disappearing under the hair covering his forehead. “We?”

Jaemin tilts his head. “Well, yeah. We’re going to the same place and since Haechan is sleeping out again, you’re going to be in the room,” he says. Drinking the last of the coffee, he pulls out his wallet. “There’s no need for you to be heading back with a bus or cab or something.”

Before he can so much as pull out any cash, the bill is placed down with the money sticking out from underneath. Jaemin looks up.

“If you’re giving me a ride, I can at least pay the bill.” Renjun stands up and without another word, Jaemin stands up after and they walk out together. They’re practically shoulder to shoulder as they make it to the car and Jaemin makes his way to the driver seat while Renjun climbs into the passenger seat. Jaemin waits until they’ve got their seatbelts on before he starts the car and drives off.

“Mind if I put on the radio?”

“Mind?” Jaemin almost scoffs. “Please, go ahead,” he says. It’s been forever since he’s put the radio on. Every time he and Jisung came to this side, they were constantly talking (mostly from Jisung’s side) so it stayed off and since he never really used the car alone, he’s gotten used to keeping it off.

When the familiarity of the  _ Ed Sheeran _ song fills the car, he finds himself almost smiling. 

“I can turn it up right?” Renjun confirms before actually turning it up. “I love this song.” 

“Really?” Jaemin smiles. “Me too.” When he glances at Renjun, the other is smiling. He leans himself against the window and he’s looking out of it. His hair is all messy and covering parts of his face and his entire body is slumped into the passenger seat. 

“You’ve got good taste,” he hears Renjun murmur just as he returns his gaze to the road. Jaemin wants to tell him that so does he, but he doesn’t. His voice feels so completely gone and he doesn’t know why. All he knows is that somehow, as he glances at Renjun who now had his eyes closed, he can’t help but think how absolutely, remarkable and astonishingly beautiful the other made someone being human look.

And really how it scared the hell out of him. 


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m really sorry that my study session ran late,” Jisung apologises the next morning when they meet outside the dormitories. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jaemin says. 

“How did the training go?” he asks almost immediately. Usually he’d only wait until after a cup of coffee. Granted they usually went for coffee on campus after the training session (the coffee was surprisingly good for campus coffee) or they’d manage to convince Taeyong into making them something to go. 

“It went alright. It was pretty intense though, I won’t lie. But Taeyong says I’m doing well so I must be doing better than I think I am,” Jaemin admits because it’s true. Initially, he truly suspected that he was doing badly until it was brought up by Taeyong and his suspicions were proved incorrect. He never really thought he’d be any good at the actual training; when he was younger, he never believed he could be a hunter because he never thought he would ever be good at it.

“And I bet you’ve already picked up that Taeyong doesn’t say good things if he doesn’t mean them,” Jisung says with a grin. Ever since they’ve been hanging out, Jaemin noted that the younger seemed to be smiling more.

“Yeah,” Jaemin murmurs softly. They were on their way to the coffee shop to get in some studying before the test tomorrow. Jisung was nervous; he says he sometimes mixes up some of the work if he has two tests in the span of a week. It was something about the amount of terms both classes had. (Jaemin didn’t have a clue what he was studying nor did he ask. He didn’t feel like having the question shoot back at him because in total reality, he had no clue what he wanted to do.)

(Maybe something in dance but taking that alone was far from enough credits. He ended up taking courses for business management and lawyer careers. He thinks his mom had a lot to do with it before she passed.)

“Hey, Jisung?”

The younger looks at him; his expression pulls the way it does when he’s confused. “Yeah?”

“How long have you known about it all? The vampires and the hunters and really all of it.” His voice gets softer with each word. He doesn’t really know why he’s asking Jisung but he is. Whether he planned to do so at all, he didn’t really know. All he knew is that when they’re talking, Jisung never talks about it. The topic is always the training and it’s always Jaemin. Not once has it been the other way around. “You don’t talk about it,” Jaemin adds after a moment of pure silence. He couldn’t even see the other male’s face to figure out whether the question was hitting too close to something or whether he remained unfazed and was just taking it in.

“Since I was a kid,” comes Jisung’s reply after a moment. “My dad and mom were both hunters.”

“Were?”

They get to the coffee shop so Jisung pauses and they follow the girl to their seat. The two of them slip into seats across from each other and before the waitress can pass them the menus, Jisung declines and the two of them give her their orders. She takes them down and disappears into the back. Jisung looks at him.

“They retired. Dad got called in for a mission a bit later,” he says firmly; his voice is tight and he won’t look Jaemin in the eye. Although Jaemin doesn’t want to just assume, he thinks he knows why.

“Your mom?” He murmurs in question.

Jisung meets his gaze. “Like Taeyong said; all of us have a purpose.”

Jaemin doesn’t say anything further. Instead he allows the silence to enguffle them. The waitress comes back around with a tray and places their orders down; this time she places the right orders in front of them and then she disappears into the back again.

“Have you ever thought this place was weird?” Jisung asks suddenly. He doesn’t wait for an answer; he seems to already know that a lot of people thought the place was weird. “If I tell you a secret, you can’t freak out.” Jaemin nods again so Jisung continues. This time, however, he lowers his voice and he leans in. “The waitress isn’t one of us, nor is she human.”

Jaemin’s entire body tenses. Right then and there, he isn’t sure whether he felt safe here anymore.

“You don’t have to worry,” the other boy says as he leans back in his seat. “She isn’t a danger.” 

Jaemin’s eyes flicker up.  _ “Not all of them are bad, Jaemin. None of them asked for this, you have to remember,”  _ his dad once told him. He remembers because he never understood it. He considered them to be monsters; they weren’t human. They drank  _ blood _ to survive; they didn’t have a heartbeat (but they still had their reflections) and they weren’t supposed to be able to walk around in the daylight. To him, vampires wouldn’t even have feelings.  _ “Jaemin, not all of them took him. Don’t group them together, yeah?” _

“As difficult as it is for many other hunters to understand, not all of them are bad.”

Jaemin stayed silent.

*

Jisung left first so when Jaemin walked back, he was doing it alone. His hands opened and closed at his sides before he gripped at the strap of his bag with the one. He thinks of the night he’d been attacked; for sure it wasn’t a girl and if Jisung says she isn’t dangerous, then it must be true. He thinks about how much Jisung sounded like his dad back there and he has to wonder what his dad would say to him in this situation. Who is he kidding? His dad would definitely have said the exact same thing.

As he’s crossing the courtyard area, a group of people pass by and he automatically stops to let them get by before he continues. 

His eyes land on something;  _ someone _ and his body stiffens. A boy walks between the crowd and as he takes a seat on a bench directly across from him, Jaemin thinks he’s imagining things. He  _ couldn’t  _ be seeing correctly. But the more his eyes took the boy in, from the dark black hair falling into his face to the softness of his eyes that flickered across the page in the book in his hand, his light and barely there eyebrows that pulled when he frowned. The pull of his lips that has his nose wrinkling; a nose that had always made him feel insecure with how big he thought it was but even Renjun knew it only seemed big in contrast to the small and thinness of his face. His legs were stretched out and crossed at his ankles and he wonders, if it was really him, was he any taller? Was he taller than Jaemin? Could it even be possible that it is him? 

“Jeno?” he murmurs and then before he can get a hold of himself, he’s moving forward and he’s calling out again. “Jeno?” 

He doesn’t know whether it’s in response to his call or whether the boy decided to just look up, but when he does, their eyes connect and every single atom within him shatters. His blood turns cold but he doesn’t stop moving. Not even when the boy gets up and then he’s walking away and Jaemin finds himself calling out nonstop. He can’t contain himself. He needs to know; he needs to be in front of this boy to know whether it was him. 

A group of people rush by and Jaemin falls behind a step. When they’ve passed, he looks again, but he can’t find him. He mumbles a soft cuss.

“Jaemin?” Still caught in the moment, Jaemin turns, thinking that maybe it’s actually Jeno, but it’s not. It’s Renjun. It’s only Renjun. He thinks back to all the moments before; all the study sessions and conversations and their evenings when Haechan didn’t come to the room for the night and he shakes his head because it’s not  _ only _ Renjun. It’s not  _ just _ Renjun. It’s Renjun, practically his third roommate. When he allows himself to meet the other boy;s gaze, there’s a lace of concern in the softness of his eyes. 

“Hey,” Jaemin says and he hates how far off his voice sounds. He isn’t sure he has full hold of himself yet. 

“Jaemin, is everything okay?” Renjun asks. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Jaemin thinks he did. Maybe he did, but right now, he didn’t have the energy to deal with this. Renjun steps forward and Jaemin looks at him. When the other hooks his arm with Jaemin’s, he doesn’t complain.

“Let’s get back to the room,” Renjun says softly. It’s that exact softness that has him agreeing. Renjun’s arm unhooks from his and loops around his waist and then Jaemin leans into him and his eyes flicker closed and he wishes this could just be it for the night and for the next few nights that follow.


	12. Chapter 12

Renjun was still there when Jaemin woke up despite it being (as he discovered when he checked the time) after eleven the next morning. His head pounded and he felt completely and utterly drained. He still had very little energy for all of this. Memories of the day before comes swarming to his mind like a hive of bees; ever so unwelcoming but nevertheless reaching him. He squeezes his eyes shut and twists until his hand feels the corner edge of the blanket and he tugs it over his face.

“You’re up,” Renjun states. Jaemin decides not to grace it with a response and Renjun sighs. “Haechan came around to fetch some of his things. He wanted to know what was up. Apparently you don’t usually sleep in like this.”

“I’m surprised he remembers,” Jaemin whispers. Renjun doesn’t hear him.

“Which, I have to say, he’s right. You’re usually up earlier.” There’s a pause and Jaemin thinks he hears the sound of a page turning (the room is just that quiet.) “Did something happen last night?”

Jeno’s face flashes; he shakes his head in an attempt to shake away the image itself. He pushes the blanket off his head and looks over at Renjun; the other male looks back and tilts his head. His hair flops to the side and his lips pull into a pout, his eyebrows turn up, meeting at his forehead which wrinkled with the same concern that swirled in his eyes. It’s the same concern as last night and he feels hopeless and horrible concerning the boy across the room. They barely knew each other; they were still complete strangers apart from knowing each other by name and occasionally shared a room. Yet here he was causing this boy concern.

“Nothing happened,” he insists.

Renjun nods. “Do you have any classes today? Are you going to them?”

He thinks about it, and really he wishes he could say yes. Hell, he should say yes, but the part in him that had zero energy for any of this wanted to say no. He reaches for his phone and when he sees the time and Jisung’s multiple,  _ multiple _ messages, he nods. “I have to go to my next class at least,” he murmurs. “I have a test.”

“How long is it?” Renjun casts a glance his way before his eyes flicker back to his textbook. There’s still an unspoken question lingering across his face and heavy in the air.

“We can leave when we’re done.” Jaemin climbs out of bed and grabs sweatpants and a hoodie from the cupboard before taking his towel. He looks over at Renjun. “Will you still be here when I get back?” 

Renjun nods. Jaemin leaves the room and heads for the showers. He doesn’t have time to linger for too long; if he did, he’d be late to class and according to Professor Kun, if you were late, you couldn’t write (or at least, if you didn’t arrive within the first fifteen minutes) and if Jaemin ever failed (which he’s sure he won’t), it would not be because he didn’t arrive in time to do the test.

He rushes into the room and grabs his bag. He’s just about to leave when Renjun stops him. 

“I’ll come and get you after your test.” Jaemin doesn’t have time to question it so he hurries out.

*

Sure enough, when Jaemin comes out of the classroom, Renjun is standing outside and leaning against the wall. He straightens when he catches sight of Jaemin and pulls out his earphones. “How did it go?” he asks, already walking.

Jaemin falls into step beside him easily enough and nods. Then, deciding that a nod was not enough of a response to such a question, he says, “It was fine. I think it was good, to be honest. I definitely lost marks in my essay though.”

“You were the first one out?” Although it comes out as a question, Jaemin senses that it’s a statement and so, he doesn’t bother with a wordy response as before. He hums. “Impressive. And you do essays in this module right?”

“Yeah. Although I definitely lost marks in mine. I realized after I handed it in that I used quite a bit of contractions where I shouldn’t have. Which would be fine if it weren’t a formal essay,” Jaemin ramles and he continues rambling and he only realizes it when he catches Renjun smiling. It’s a little crooked smile that lights up his face in the smallest but definitely most noticeable way possible. Jaemin apologises and Renjun’s face pulls.

“For what?”

“I’m sorry for rambling,” he insists, his voice only a murmur. He doesn’t know where they’re going but Renjun seems to, leading him on ahead without having to constantly look where they’re going. 

“That’s silly. Why should you apologise? If you want to ramble, ramble and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Renjun looks ahead and tugs at Jaemin’s elbow as they turn left. They almost missed it, so nevermind his thought of Renjun not needing to constantly look. “Plus, it’s cute,” he murmurs as his hand drops to his side. Jaemin felt a shiver travel through him and yet he feels warm. He also swears he can feel his heart against his chest. 

“Where are we going?” Jaemin asks after a moment of silence has passed between them. When Renjun doesn’t answer, Jaemin decides not to ask again. Instead, he tries to wrack his brain for something else to say. Renjun beats him to it.

“We’re here.”

It’s a park. A park across from the university and only two blocks away. Jaemin’s brows furrowed as he looked at Renjun in wonder, and he hoped there was a good explanation for this. It’s not that he doesn’t mind it, but rather he wonders why Renjun brought him here. Really, the park is beautiful. It’s not like the ones Renjun remembers when he was younger. Here, the grass is greener than he’s ever seen (because really, could grass be  _ this _ green?) and it’s so much bigger than the ones his dad took him to. There were two slides on either side of the park, a see-saw beside each one. There were two sets of swings on both sides and a jungle gym and monkey bars. In the centre of it all was a little sandpit. There were trees around the area, big and full of leaves that were falling, it gave shade to certain areas of the park. It’s extremely quiet; barely a child in sight aside from a mother and her child occupying the sandpit.  _ It’s still school hours _ , Jaemin thinks as he takes it all in. 

“It’s a park,” Jaemin finally says when he catches Renjun looking at him.

“I come here a lot when I need to get away,” he explains once he catches the question in Jaemin’s eye.

“You need to get away?”

Renjun smiles. “Doesn’t everyone?” 

Renjun had a point. “Who said I needed to get away?” he asks, following after the other as he walked on in the direction of the trees. 

When he takes a seat, he leans his back against the tree and looks up at Jaemin with the tilt of his head. There’s the hint of a smile across his lips and the twinkle of calm in his eye. He looks more relaxed than Jaemin ever saw him. “You think you’re good at it, but you don’t hide your emotions all that well. You have a tell,” he explains; Jaemin doesn’t know whether to accept it as a good thing or a bad thing. 

“I have a tell?”

“Again,” he starts, “Everyone has a tell.”

Jaemin sits down beside Renjun and leans against the tree. Not once does he take his eye off the other and as Renjun turns, their eyes lock and Jaemin’s forehead wrinkles as he frowns a little. Renjun’s eyes seemed the lightest shade of brown just then, but Jaemin tells himself it’s impossible. That would require a colour change of his eyes unless they had been hazel.

“Is something the matter?” Renjun asks. He’s pulled a book out of his bag and rests it on his lap when he turns to Jaemin again. 

Jaemin doesn’t hesitate to answer. “No, nothing at all.” He’s mind, however, wouldn’t stop in it’s thoughts. Whirring as one thought after another pops into his head and he has to push it away. He shakes his head and as he looks out at the park, he thinks this is the nicest and most thoughtful thing someone’s done in a long time. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

He keeps his gaze set across the park, as he watches the movement of cars driving by and the people on the sidewalks. The lightest of breezes go by and it’s despite all the thoughts in his mind, this is the most calm and most  _ sense _ he’s felt in the last twenty-four hours.

“Just thank you.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Can you believe it’s already April?” Haechan asks. “We’ve been here for six weeks!” he proceeds to exclaim. The truth is that he really can’t believe it. The days went by in such a blur; Jaemin feels as though he’s blinked right past them. He sort of felt as though he were missing out, but when he looked at Haechan, drowsier than Jaemin recalls him ever being, he thinks that all he’s missing out on is the sleepless nights (as if he didn’t already have those.) 

“It’s not April yet,” Jaemin reminds him. Which is true. They started here the third week of February and now they were nearing the end of March. “It’s still another two weeks,” he reminds the boy across the room. It felt weird having Haechan in the room again but at the same time it was nice. He missed the ever smiling sunshine of his presence. Of course, Jaemin never told him this.

“Yeah, you’re right. I'll start rounding off after the twenty-third,” he says mindlessly, biting at his pencil. 

“What’s the twenty-third?” Jaemin asks because with how concentrated Haechan appeared, it seemed important. 

Seemingly startled, Haechan looks over all wide eyed and his lips forming the shape of an ‘o’. He snaps out of it within seconds, however and he’s back to smiling. “It’s Renjun’s birthday,” he explains. “Mark says he wants to do something for him so we’re planning on going out.” He watches as Haechan shifts on the bed, the textbook almost falling. His hand shoots out and he catches it in time. He turns to Jaemin and smiles. “You should come with us.”

At a loss for words at the invitation, Jaemin keeps staring. 

Haechan, unfazed by this reaction, straightens his back and he’s nodding long before he says something. “You should definitely come with us. It’s a weekday so we won’t stay out too late,” he insists.

“But Renjun and I aren’t really friends,” Jaemin murmurs. A quizzical look flashes across Haechan’s face. He shrugs and leans back down and pulls his book across his lap. Finding it a little odd, he asks, “What?”

“Nothing,” Haechan says and when he looks at Jaemin, he’s sort of smiling. “It’s just that I don’t think Renjun thinks that.”

“He doesn’t?”

“No,” Haechan murmurs. “Not at all. He seems fond of you.” His phone goes off and he drops the book as he unlocks it. A smile tugs at his lips and he practically jumps off his bed and rushes to the door. Before he opens it, he looks at Jaemin. “Consider it, okay?” With that, he’s out of the room.

*

The day goes by in a blur. It mostly consists of Jaemin writing out notes and mind mapping from the notes he already had. Haechan texted him an hour after he disappeared saying that he was going out with Mark and would be returning the next morning. He attended his only lecture for the day and then returned to his room only to collect his things before he made his way to the library. 

On his way there, he can’t stop his mind from wandering to the day before. He thinks back to all the conversations he had with Renjun post his first evening in the room; their study sessions together and although limited, the conversations they had. He thinks about how comfortable the silence was when they weren’t talking. (The last time he ever experienced this was with Jeno.) No stranger would have done what Renjun did for him the day before either. He doesn’t think any friends from his past would have done it either. Jaemin thinks it over, and he thinks that maybe he was lying to Haechan when he said he and Renjun weren’t friends. Maybe it wasn’t the best or clearer of friendships, but there was definitely something there.

When he walks into the library, he finds it empty. 

The librarian looks over and he smiles. “Welcome.” It’s a curt greeting and feeling as though it deserved  _ some _ sort of response, he nods his head. He goes to the far back of the room where there was a set of couches all positioned around a small coffee table and surrounded by the non-fiction section. It makes him think of Renjun.

He sits on one of the single-seaters and pulls his laptop out of his bag. He waits for it to switch on and finds himself looking around. He catches the librarian’s eye and quickly looks away. He returns his eyes to the screen, clicks in the password and clicks on the browser. It opens fast enough and he’s on the student site in seconds.

Jisung has updated a few times since Jaemin was last on. The amount of disappearances around campus has only increased since last Jisung told him about it. His eyes continue to scan the articles, his hand reaching for his phone. Just as his hand brushes against the cover, his attention is turned to the flickering lights above his bed. Biting his lip, he looks around, but when his eyes stop at the front desk, he doesn’t see the librarian. 

Without really allowing himself to think about it, he powers down his laptop and shoves it into his bag, zipping it up as he stands up. He thinks about how dumb it was of him to come here when he saw how empty it had been. The last time he walked down the corridors alone in the evening, he practically got attacked. Really, he should have known better than to come to the library at  _ night _ . 

He pulls out his phone just as it rings. It’s a landline number. Or at least he thinks. He answers it as he walks through the isles near the back. He tried to keep quiet and tried to stop from breathing too loudly as he answered the phone. “Hello?” He mumbles into the phone. He couldn’t feel his heart.

“Hey.” It’s Renjun. He looks at the screen, eyebrows furrowing before he returns it to his ear. “Where are you?” Renjun asks. 

“Where are you? What number is this?” He realizes how different it is to be talking to Renjun over the phone. They never exchanged numbers the way he and Haechan did and so he’s never spoken to the other any time other than in person. 

“It’s your dorm phone.” He hears Renjun chuckle and for a moment, he feels safe.

A hand touches his shoulder and he turns around just as the person (it’s the damn Librarian) leans forward and there’s the unmistakable sight of bared fangs right there in his face and all Jaemin can manage is a cuss. His eyes dart around and with his free hand, he reaches for the magazine stand to their left and he pulls it down. He has to stop himself from smiling when it falls directly on the guy and the hand is gone from his shoulder. It’s only as he’s running through the aisles between the bookshelves when he realizes that he’s still on the phone.

“Jaemin, what was that? Where  _ are  _ you?” he stresses from the other line. Jaemin stops in his tracks when the librarian is at the end of the aisle. 

“Library,” Jaemin utters sharply as he turns around and runs the other way. His eyes scan the room all the while as he contemplates what else there is that could possibly add as an obstruction of some sort. It is definitely  _ not _ the shelves. They were too heavy (unless he had enough time to try and push it, but he didn’t.)

“I’ll be right there.”

Before he can say anything, the line ends and Jaemin’s back to running on his own. He’s only two rows away from the front door when he trips (because of course his luck would turn this way.) There’s a soft breeze near him and when he turns his head, he sees the librarian a couple of feet away from him.  _ Shit _ , he thinks.  _ Shit, shit, shit _ . 

“Don’t look so scared,” the librarian says. He smirks, showing off a flash of his fang and he looks far too impressed with himself. He’s got a head of white hair and thick, dark eyebrows standing out against his pale skin. He’s brain is moving through thought after thought, processing the situation as he takes in the man before him from his broad shoulders to large hands resting on either arm as he crosses them. His eyes took in Jaemin hungrily. Involuntarily, he shivered. His voice is thick and deep but somehow, it’s soft and really Jaemin shouldn’t be focusing on that right now but he couldn’t help it; it’s the first he’s gotten a proper, upfront view of a vampire.

They really were flawless.

“I’m not scared,” Jaemin insists after a moment. He’s managed to sit up now and he’s trying his best not to draw the man’s attention to where his eyes kept flickering. 

“Your eyes say otherwise.”

Jaemin starts to move, slowly getting up but not for a second does he let his gaze slip from the guy. Not even as he reaches a hand out to the shelf he’d been eyeing and scoops them out of the shelf. As they fall out and onto the man, Jaemin turns, not waiting to see the end result as he dashes for the double doors just as they slam open and Renjun’s eyes scan the area for a moment before landing on Jaemin.

Jaemin doesn’t stop. He rushes out of the door, grabbing Renjun’s hand as he does and pulling him along. Renjun’s hand is freezing compared to his own, but Jaemin doesn’t dwell on the thought as he runs on.

“Jaemin,” Renjun calls. He’s running beside him now. 

Jaemin doesn’t stop. Not until they’re a safe distance from the library and he’s struggling for breath. It’s only when Renjun pulls him to a stop that he actually  _ stops _ . They’re closer to the dorms now and Jaemin is gasping for breath. He leans against the wall in the corridor and he has to clasp his hands together to stop them from shaking. He squeezes his eyes shut as he slides down the wall and rests his forehead against his knees, hands stretched out and arms on either side of his head.

He feels a pair of hands cup his own, and even though they’re so much colder than his, they’re the warmest thing at that moment.

“Jaemin,” Renjun murmurs, “I need you to look at me.” 

Jaemin shakes his head, his grip tightening on his hands, only really doing this to stop his whole body from shaking. A hand cups his cheek and a finger slips beneath his chin, easing his head up; his eyes open.

“Jaemin, are you alright?”

A scoff escapes him before he can stop it. “Alright?” he demands. “Alright?” His chest feels as though it’s tightening, and the air only seems like it’s getting thinner and thinner. “How can I be alright? That’s the second time, Renjun! The second time I’ve been attacked by one of those  _ things _ since I’ve been here. Do I have some sort of sign on my head?” Despite his words, he still thinks how lucky he is. He hasn’t been kidnapped like the missing kids. He hasn’t completely disappeared off the face of the earth. 

Yet he could have. If he hadn’t been able to escape those situations, he could have been one of those missing people. His eyes find Renjun’s; once again it’s Renjun saving him.

“Jaemin,” he murmurs, “It’s going to be okay. Look at me,” he says firmly as Jaemin starts to turn away. “You may not be okay now, but you will be.”

He shakes; he’s trembling now and Renjun keeps looking at him like he’s going to jump into a pool of sharks if he needs to save him but  _ fuck _ that. His eyes are raw and dark, and his lips are set in a thin line and his entire face is pleading for Jaemin to just hear him.

Renjun’s hands lower slowly as Jaemin starts to relax, shoulders untensing and he feels the energy leaving him as he slumps against the wall.

“There you go.” Renjun smiles.

Jaemin lifts his head again. “Renjun, if that ever happens again,” he says and Renjun’s head tilts as Jaemin continues, “Don’t hang up on me again.”

He looks surprised but then he’s smiling again. “Deal.”


	14. Chapter 14

The next few days come hard for Jaemin; sleep is a complete mystery to him and when he does manage to find it, he’s met with flashes of the attack. Renjun asks how he has been sleeping every day after that; Jaemin thinks he knows, but he hasn’t said anything so he lies and says he’s slept well in reply. He manages in about sixty per cent of his classes for the week while the other forty per cent is a complete blur. When Friday rolls around, he’s glad he didn’t register for any classes that took place on these days. 

He’s also exhausted and slightly disappointed in himself. Really, who could blame him? He wanted to be a hunter and here he is getting shaken by every attack that comes his way. So much so that it’s elicited night terrors in the process. How could he possibly be a hunter if he constantly ran away like that?

He’s cross legged on his bed and going through his mind maps when his phone goes off with a message. It’s a reply from Jisung. The morning he decided to message the younger male; it was the first time since the coffee shop incident. He reads it and catches himself smiling.  _ Will be over shortly!! _

_ Class?  _ Jaemin responds.

His phone dings.  _ Screw it. I’ll catch up. _

A moment later, there’s a knock at the door. He untangles himself to go and answer it and before he can even greet Jisung, he’s tackled into a hug. Jaemin tenses, eyes wide and surprised. “I should have messaged sooner, but I was still asleep.” His arms drop to his sides and he takes a step back, eyes taking in every aspect of Jaemin. “You’re not hurt?” He ensures even though that was the first ten messages from the other as soon as he explained over text. Then came the phone call and the scolding and he had to hang up because he needed to head to the showers and then came his reply and, well, here he was. 

“I’m not hurt, Jisung. Just as I’ve told you repeatedly before needing to convince you to head to the showers.” Although it’s serious, Jaemin smiles teasingly. Jisung immediately eases.

“Well, then, you should get done.”

“Done?” Jaemin queries. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Well, yeah. We’re going to see Taeyong.”

*

When they get to the bar, there’s another person behind the counter. Jisung, as unfazed as ever, walks over and takes a seat. When he casts a glance over, Jaemin sighs and joins him.

“Well hello to you too,” Taeyong greets. He’s already pouring a glass of coke while the new guy pours the sprite. Involuntarily, Jaemin finds himself eyeing the guy. He’s taller than Taeyong, if only by a couple of metres, and he’s got this completely innocent look to him; small face, small eyes and dark hair everywhere in his face. He looks as if he’s got a permanent pout. When he’s finished pouring Jisung’s drink, he’s eyes flicker to somewhere behind Jaemin and then he turns to Taeyong. “Not too late,” is all he says before he steps out from behind the counter and hands over the apron to someone. Instead of walking to the front doors, though, he makes his way to the back area where the stairs are. 

In his place comes a male no taller than the man who just left, but still about a centimetre taller than Taeyong himself. He’s fingers move quickly as he ties the apron behind him despite Taeyong offering help, and then he leans against the counter, directly in front of Jisung. His lips pull into a smile. He’s all thick eyebrows (nicer than Kun’s, really) and sharp jawline and thin but wide eyes and floppy dark hair that he brushes away from his face with his hand. Then his eyes flicker to Jaemin and he tilts his head. “You’re new,” he notes; his voice is thick, but you wouldn’t think it was coming from him if you had to match it up with his face; it’s melodic in a way, and despite how uninviting and displeased he sounded, his voice was almost soothing the way a cup of tea would be on a cold day. He turns to look at Taeyong. “He’s new.” He speaks as if Jaemin isn’t sitting right in front of the two of them.

“I’m not  _ new _ ,” Jaemin scolds and the boy looks over. “You’re new. I haven’t seen you around since I’ve been coming here.” He turns his attention to Taeyong. “Nor the man he just switched places with.”

“Well I haven’t seen you around and I’ve been here for a good couple of years,” the male retorts, lifting a single brow.

“The guy from before is Doyoung,” Jisung pipes in. “Taeyong’s roommate,” he explains, adding extra emphasis on the word ‘roommate’ than necessary. A single glance at Taeyong rolling his eyes is enough to know that there’s a story there, but he doesn’t think it’ll be appropriate to ask. “And this is Xiaojunnie.” 

“It’s Xiaojun,” the boy corrects. He’s leaning against the counter, arms crossed and openly staring at Jaemin. He doesn’t like the vibe this guy gives off, but if he works here, he supposes he can’t much have any sort of opinion on it. 

Jaemin returns his attention to Taeyong. “So, are they?”

“Doyoung isn’t involved in any of this,” he informs. “And he won’t have anything to do with it as far as I’m concerned,” he looks at Jisung as he says this and the younger pouts but remains silent. 

“But he is?” Jaemin gestures to Xiaojun. 

“Yeah. One of the best, actually,” Taeyong comments.

Jaemin nods. Jisung places both hands firmly against the counter to get their attention and when all three sets of eyes are on him, he lowers into his seat and pulls a face. “Look, we came here because we needed to talk to you, Taeyong. Jaemin was attacked again.”

“ _ Again _ ?” The surprise in Taeyong’s tone leaves him fairly unsettled as he watches the way the male’s eyes widen. Then they return to their normal size and his expression turns serious as though he’s processing or contemplating the information that has just been given to him. Jaemin wonders if it’s odd.

“Do you want to explain?” Xiaojun queries. Jaemin realizes that it’s him the other male was talking to.

“In the last few weeks I’ve encountered a vampire twice,” he supplies. “I’m not too sure why they’re surprised.”

Xiaojun’s eyes flicker in understanding. “It’s not often that you get to encounter a vampire twice. Both were at your university, as well?” When Jaemin nods, the male continues. “Then that’s definitely unusual. Were they the same one? If so, it could be that they’ve targeted you.”

“Targeted me? What do you mean by that?”

Xiaojun hums while Taeyong and Jisung remain silent. 

“I mean that vampires have a tendency to target their prey. Once their eyes have landed on whatever it is they’re hunting, they won’t let it go until they’ve gotten their prey’s blood.” He leans back against the counter, eyes glued to Jaemin though he suspects it's out of interest. “You never said whether they were the same.”

“I never caught sight of the first attacker. Not the way I saw this one.” For some reason, he feels embarrassed to admit. Especially with how smug Xiaojun looked right in that moment.

“Well then, if it happens again, I think it’ll be safe to assume you’ve been targeted.”

“It’s what most hunters wish for,” Taeyong pipes in then and Jaemin looks at him. “It’s easier to get a first kill that way.”

Despite what he says, Jaemin cannot help but feel incredibly uneasy. Especially with the way Xiaojun made it sound. It made him feel useless and completely inexperienced in the hunting department. He still didn’t much like the vibe the guy gave off. He was far too proud for Jaemin’s liking; the complete opposite to the submissiveness of Taeyong. If he compared their vibes, Taeyong was much more humble and seemingly respectful no matter your class.

As Jisung and he leave, Taeyong suggests the two go and see Kun. Jaemin almost forgot that Taeyong knew the professor. It almost felt like the two were two whole words apart. 

“We should go tomorrow,” Jisung suggests and Jaemin easily agrees. It’s far too late to find Kun now and it might be considered inappropriate if they went to the lecturers building, especially this late. 

When Jaemin gets to the room, Renjun is still awake. 

“You alright?” Renjun asks while Jaemin changes. He locks the door and goes to bed. He glances over at the window; Renjun closes it and shuts the latch.

“I’m alright,” Jaemin assures. When his head hits the pillow, he’s out like a light.


	15. Chapter 15

Jaemin waits on Jisung’s floor. 

It was already an hour after their initial meet up and when Jisung got here, he realized he’d forgotten something and went right back the way he came. Jaemin didn’t mind.

This morning things seemed to have gone back to normal. Renjun wasn’t in the room when he woke up and Haechan was searching through his side of the cupboard, insisting that he lost something (which he didn’t. It was a bracelet and it was on his other wrist.) Jaemin asked whether Haechan was getting enough sleep to which the other responded with a flushed and spluttered look and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He scurried out of the room without so much as a goodbye.

“Okay.” Jisung appears beside him again. This time, he’s got his bag on his back. He catches Jaemin looking and smiles sheepishly. “I have a study session with my friend. Shall we?” 

It’s odd how Jaemin considered Jisung a friend and yet he didn’t really know much about him. All he knew was his name, that they shared a class and that they were both hunters. He didn’t know any of Jisung’s other friends. Then again the only time they really spent together was during his training or when they needed to study for a test. Otherwise, he didn’t even know what Jisung liked doing for fun. (Noted he barely knew what it was  _ he  _ did for fun.)

“Sure,” Jaemin replies. They walk together toward the classroom buildings. There were a few buildings, really; there were the dormitories (and there were two; one for the girls and one for the boys), the dorms for the lecturers, and the classrooms. It was still small compared to other universities, but Jaemin was fine with that. It was one of the reasons he wanted to come here when he was younger. His dad had laughed and his mom insisted that he try not to pick a university because of the size of the classes. Jaemin nearly cried and his mom took him in her arms; he was six at the time and attached to his mom at the hip. Sometimes he missed her more than other days, especially on special days like birthdays. His dad and him never really spoke of her. They didn’t need to. 

They were nearing the classes when Jaemin stopped in his tracks. Jisung turned to him after realizing that Jaemin wasn’t next to him, but he couldn’t say anything. His lips were parted and he was frozen solid. 

“Jaemin?”

“It’s him.” The words finally leave his lips but he’s still unable to so much as move. Jisung walks over and stands beside him before following Jaemin’s gaze. 

“Him who?”

“The vampire who attacked me in the library.”

Before he can say anything else, Jisung has a hold of his elbow and is tugging him on ahead as they walk closer and closer to Professor Qian’s classroom. The boy was walking toward them and at first, Jaemin panicked, worrying that they had been seen by the white haired male. He almost sighed in relief when the boy turned, but then Jisung was tugging harshly at his elbow and it was only as they got closer that he realized why; the boy just entered Professor Qian’s classroom. 

He and Jisung share a look. 

Jisung walks over to the windows and, because of how low the windows of all classrooms here were, he pops his head up a little so that he’s peeking into the class. Rather than that, Jaemin sits by the otherside of the door after noticing the boy walk over to the desk, and he leans in a little.

“Professor Qian,” the boy says. His voice brings back memories of the night and he involuntarily shivers. He clasps his hands together and closes his eyes, hoping that whatever was about to be said was loud enough for Jisung and himself to hear. Sure it would be terrible, but considering this was a person (a  _ vampire _ ) who attacked him, this was definitely the least horrible thing to be done.

“It’s not like there’s anyone here, Lucas. Kun is just fine.”

The boy—Lucas—sighs. “Sorry, Kun.” 

The sound of the chair scraping against the ground echoes as Kun stands from his seat and then the sound of footsteps toward Lucas. Jaemin is only able to tell as the sound comes closer rather than moving away. The steps stop once he’s gotten to Lucas and there’s a shift in the air. Jaemin can’t help but tense. “Lucas,” Kun says and his voice sounds so exasperated. Jaemin can almost imagine the expression. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?” His voice takes a turn of disappointment and Jaemin frowns. He looked over at Jisung who had his eyes wide.

“I don’t know what you mean, Kun. You said you wanted to see me.” He’s defensive. 

“You’re acting recklessly, Lucas. You  _ targeted  _ someone. We both agreed you wouldn’t do that,” Kun hisses and Jaemin suddenly sits straighter and leans closer. He can’t let his breathing come out any heavier than it is nor can he allow his heartbeat to increase rapidly. If he so much as did so, Lucas would most likely pick it up and their conversation would end. He doesn’t know Kun well enough to know whether he would give them any answers they were looking for. 

“Yeah, but you don’t know what it’s like, Kun,” Lucas grunts. But there’s something there; an underlying desperation in his voice that he was trying to cover up.

“You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like.” A step closer. “But I do know that there are lines, Lucas. Lines that you should not be crossing because as I’ve told you a million times, if you so much as step over them, I’ll be the first to kill you.” Kun’s voice has gotten lower in his saying this and he sounds so threatening. There’s something unspoken in the air and then there’s the familiar sound of silence.

Jisung hops down beside him and practically pulls Jaemin up as he runs off toward the pillars. They duck behind one and Jaemin looks at Jisung. “What happened?”

“He’s leaving.”

“How did you figure that?” 

“Trust me, there was an unspoken goodbye.” It takes a second to click and then Jaemin shudders. 

Footsteps sound through the corridor, coming toward them and for a second he thinks they’ve been caught. Lucas passes them as he hurries down the corridor and Jisung pulls Jaemin by his elbow as they head for the classroom again. The two stop when they see Kun standing outside.

“I thought I heard someone,” he says. He locks gazes with Jaemin. “Two someones. Come in.” He walks into the room and the two follow after them. Kun walks over to his desk and instead of going to the chair, he sits on top of it. His one foot touching the floor as he sits at an angle, arms crossed and eyes lifting to look at both of them.

“Kun,” Jisung says. “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

For a second, he’s got this dead look in his eye, and then he sort of smiles. His sort of smile is wider than Jisung’s sort of smile and it eases Jaemin a little. “I know. Taeyong contacted me. Sorry you had to hear that. And see that.”

“It’s alright,” Jaemin murmurs.

“So I was right about you then,” he says, his eyes never leaving Jaemin. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here with Jisung.”

“I didn’t really know you were one, Professor,” Jaemin says in reply. He’s standing next to Jisung now. “They never confirmed it, so…” He trails off with a shrug.

Kun chuckles. “So you thought I only knew about it. Well, I can assure you I am a hunter. It’s why I went to Jisung about your little question. I suspected you might be a hunter. Jisung, on the other hand, did not.” He nods at Jisung then. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Well, about that,” Jisung starts off sounding awkward and he even chuckles a little which means he’s definitely feeling awkward so Jaemin steps in.

“I’ve been attacked twice in the span of a few weeks,” he explains. Question flickers across Kun’s face, but before he can ask it, Jaemin continues. “I never saw the first attacker so Taeyong said not to assume that I’ve been targeted unless a third attack occurs.”

Kun frowns. “So, you saw the second attacker?”

Jaemin pauses. He sighs. “Yes, I did.” He casts a glance in Jisung’s direction (the younger gave a nod of his head) and then he looks back at Kun. “It was Lucas.”

Kun looks at Jaemin. He doesn’t ask the usual ‘are you sure’ question nor does he confirm their suspicions. Instead, he walks around hops off the top of his desk and walks around to the chair. He looks deep in thought and Jaemin can only watch. 

“That’s why Taeyong sent you to me,” Kun says after a stretching silence. 

“Because of Lucas?”

“He probably figured I might know,” he explains. He looks at the boys and smiles. “Lucas is one of the youngest vampires I’ve met thus far. He’s a kid. So—” He stops mid-sentence and is frowning. “Please, take a seat.” Unlike some of the other classes, this class was small and rather than the set up they had in those, this class in particular consisted of tables and chairs. Jisung and Jaemin both grab one and put it by the front of Kun’s desk. Once they’re seated, Kun remains standing as he proceeds. “Lucas is one of the youngest. He’s unfortunate in that regard.”

“Unfortunate how?” Jaemin queries before he can stop himself. The question floats in the air a while longer.

“Unfortunate in the sense that because he’s a youngling, his cravings are more so than the older vampires who have had chances to control them. Really, he’s a great kid and he’s got a big heart. He just hasn’t learnt how to control the thirst and sometimes it gets the better of him,” Kun says again. “He doesn’t have anyone to help him control it, so I’ve been trying based on any knowledge I have or am able to acquire.” He steps to one side and looks at both boys. He smiles again, and Jaemin thinks it makes the professor's face appear lighter. “Taeyong most likely sent you to me because if it isn’t Lucas, he could know something and I would have to ask him.”

“So you don’t know who is behind the disappearances?”

Kun shakes his head. 

Jisung turns his head and he’s looking at Kun again. “I have to go, but one more question,” he demands of the professor whose brows lift into his hairline. He nods in confirmation. Jisung proceeds. “You were mad at Lucas for targeting someone. Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” Kun admits. “And I couldn’t ask because you two would have overheard. I’d rather you not know and cause a scene or continuously put yourselves at risk trying to protect whoever it is.”

“Then how do you know he did?” Jaemin queries. 

“He doesn’t usually target people, but I’ve seen his eyes the first time he did and they’re a perfect match,” Kun answers smoothly but the answer isn’t sufficient enough. As he stares at the professor, Jaemin wonders whether he’s lying. 

Rather than asking, he stands from his seat when Jisung does. Jisung thanks Kun and he hurries ahead of Jaemin. As Jaemin gets to the door, Kun calls him and he stops. Looking at the professor, his brows furrow. “Yes, sir?”

“I don’t know who it is, or what Taeyong said, but I’d be careful if I were you,” Kun says darkly. Jaemin only stares and then he hears Jisung call out to him so he offers a greeting to Kun and rushes to catch up with Jisung.

“What took you so long?” Jisung asks when Jaemin catches up. They’re walking in the direction of the library. 

“Kun said something,” he murmurs softly. 

“Something important?” Jisung asks.

“Possibly.” 

Jisung looks about ready to say something but someone calls his name and when they both turn, Jaemin sees a fairly short, blonde haired boy with thin eyes and a small, round face waving at Jisung. Jisung’s entire face brightens, and Jaemin thinks that although the boy may just be a ‘friend’ he may be something a little more, but he didn’t just want to assume so he decided perhaps it was just that they were close. Jisung says goodbye and hurries off, calling out to the boy excitedly.

Jaemin turns around and heads for his room.


	16. Chapter 16

Most of the next morning is a blur to Jaemin. From waking up late and almost missing his class to the entirety of the conversation Haechan tried to have with him after they ran into each other between a class. He barely recalls the day as a matter of fact. He does recall now, however, as he exits his class only to catch sight of Renjun standing outside his class. Jaemin finds it a little unusual to see the other so relaxed as he leans against the wall; usually he looks tense as if expecting an attack at any moment (Jaemin didn’t even know whether he believed in the vampires and hunters and everything) and really it’s not so surprising to see the book in his hand. (Jaemin thinks it’d be exceptionally weird to see him  _ without  _ a book.)

“Hey,” he greets as he walks up to the other male. His gaze lifts for a split second and then he’s closing the book (it’s  _ wuthering heights _ ) and pushing himself off the wall. The book slides into the bag slung over his shoulder and his hands tuck into his pockets as he meets Jaemin’s gaze once again.

“Hi,” he says. It somehow sounds off.  _ He _ seems off.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Jaemin queries softly and Renjun nods but then the next second he’s shaking his head and then, seeming annoyed with himself, he sighs.

“I was waiting for you,” Renjun explains. He sounds exasperated. “Haechan said you’re coming with us tonight and my class ended early. It’s just down the hall and I figured we could just meet up with Mark and Haechan together. In the dorm room, I mean…” He trails off with a groan and a shake of his head. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs a moment later, but Jaemin is still just staring. He’s trying to recall what is tonight. With such a blur of a day, who could really blame him. Renjun’s brows furrow. “Jaemin?”

And then he feels like an idiot. It hits him and he feels so completely dumb that it’s not even funny. “Right, right. Tonight,” he starts and he doesn’t think he’ll let up with beating himself up for forgetting it but really it was only mentioned once; how was he supposed to remember? “Of course I’m coming,” he assures and for a moment, he thinks he sees the hint of relief in Renjun’s face. “I just spaced about it, I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright,” Renjun replies. “We should get going. They’ll expect us to change before we leave.”

“We need to change?” he asks, mostly out of disbelief. He didn’t even know where they were going and he already feels tired. They start walking and his eye catches the movement as Renjun’s hand fiddles with the strap of his bag. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Some bar or club they go to occasionally,” he replies. 

“You don’t seem too pleased about all of this,” Jaemin notes. In fact, Renjun seemed like he would rather be doing  _ anything _ else than this. So he wondered why he was. 

“I’m not much for celebrating my birthday,” he admits with a shrug. “I’m only doing it because Mark realized the last time we celebrated mine was back in preschool and that was years ago,” he supplies. His brows are pulled in the middle of his forehead but he isn’t exactly frowning. Jaemin doesn’t know what to call it. He doesn’t even know how to respond; he’s still debating asking his question. He sure as hell isn’t going to tell Renjun how sweet that sounds. That and how much he wished he had a friend like that.

The silence continues to stretch and they’re only halfway back to the dorm so he asks, “Why don’t you like celebrating?”

“I mean, I used to when I was little. I loved the whole cake and gifts and getting to spend the day with my friends outside of school, but then I got older and things weren’t that easy and stuff happened down the timeline and now I’d much rather just lie in bed and pretend it wasn’t my birthday.” 

It’s hectic. Jaemin never really celebrated his birthday after Jeno was gone. He didn’t have all that many friends and so it was always them and his dad but after that it was just him and his dad. He never thought much about it; the whole ‘I don’t want to celebrate’ thing. He and his dad were close and it had always been them and once upon a time it had been them and his mom so he liked celebrating it. He never imagined there were actually people like Renjun who didn’t even  _ want  _ to celebrate.

“Then we’ll make it awesome,” he says without thinking. Renjun’s head turns and the question is screaming in his eyes so Jaemin continues. “We’ll make your night so awesome that you’ll want to start celebrating again.”

“Why?” he murmurs.

“Birthdays are important. They’re a celebration of another year we’ve survived and therefore they deserve to be celebrated,” he insists. They’re outside the room now and Renjun is staring at him like he’s crazy but Jaemin isn’t going to drop his statement any time soon so he continues to stare.

Renjun rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Sure. Alright,” he says. Jaemin is smiling now too as he opens the door and he’s practically pulled into the room. He stumbles into Haechan who seems exceptionally giddy. Jaemin adjusts himself and goes to place his bag on the bed. He switches jackets and tosses another one to Renjun who catches it quickly. When they lock gazes, Jaemin shrugs and turns to look at Haechan and Mark. 

“Ready?” Mark asks and Jaemin and Renjun nod. Haechan cheers and they make their way out together.

*

Mark drove them up to the place and ironically enough, it was a few buildings away from the bar Taeyong worked at. If Haechan and Mark came here often like Renjun said, he wonders whether they’ve ever been here while he was in the area. Though surely if they ever saw him, Haechan would approach him about it or even have walked in to come and greet him. It’s just the sort of thing Haechan would do.

From the moment they walk in, Jaemin has already had enough. It’s loud and full and the only way he finds his way to a table is by following Renjun who had gripped his jacket sleeve in order to guide him. Haechan and Mark had disappeared in the direction of the bar the moment they found the table after asking the two if there was anything they wanted specifically. He takes a deep breath and he doesn’t take his gaze off the crowd at all. Not until he hears his name and looks in the direction of it.

“Are you alright?” Renjun asks him and all he can do is smile sheepishly. 

He figures the other deserves a worded response; he nods and because of how loud the music was, he had to lift his voice a little. “All good,” he assures, “Just not used to this.”

Renjun’s eyes glimmer in amusement and a smile curves its way on his face. “The whole full-club, loud music vibe? You never did this before?”

“No,” he admits and somehow he gets the sense that Renjun’s been to a few. It has him feeling just a bit embarrassed that he hasn’t before. 

“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” Renjun says suddenly. Jaemin looks up and their gazes lock. Under the lighting, his eyes seem so much lighter than they usually are. “Clearly you’ve spent your time better than spending hours in a club or bar.”

Jaemin doesn’t know what to say so he doesn’t say anything. Not that he needs to because right then, Haechan and Mark return. They’re walking closely beside each other and as they place the drinks in front of each person, Jaemin notes that they have their arms hooked. Haechan takes a seat first and he catches Mark staring at the other. There’s the little twinkle of adoration in his eyes and really, if he ever found someone, Jaemin hoped it would be something like the two in front of him. They didn’t know, but Jaemin often caught their staring. When Mark wasn’t looking, Haechan would be watching him and vice versa but never in those creepy, stalker ways. It was when they were doing little activities or speaking so fondly of something that the other would be watching them with such love. Really, it was adorable.

“So,” Haechan exclaims and he’s grinning so widely that Jaemin thinks he may just already be tipsy. Though he couldn’t be too sure. “Renjun, happy birthday!” he cheers, holding up his class and the rest of them follow in suit, clinking their glasses together as Jaemin and Mark wish the other a happy birthday each in turn. Renjun is smiling and Jaemin decides that he loves to see the other smile. They all take sips of their drinks and the conversation shifts. Topics come and go and it’s around the end of their second round of drinks that Haechan decides they all  _ need _ to go onto the dance floor before they miss out. (“It’s the best part of the experience! You’ve never been so you’ll get to say that you have!” he exclaimed at Jaemin and really with how flushed he was and how his words came so slurred, Jaemin was amazed he could understand the other at all.)

It’s in the middle of the song and Renjun is trying to show Jaemin how to actually dance in this sort of situation (but really Jaemin cannot focus because Renjun looks so carefree and relaxed and he actually seems to be having fun that it's distracting. When will Jaemin  _ ever _ see him like this again?) Renjun is laughing at him and then he’s reaching out and clasping Jaemin’s hands into his own and he’s swaying their bodies to the beat and all Jaemin can think is that he absolutely loves seeing Renjun laugh, more than he loves seeing him smile; even if it's him the other is laughing at. And he hates having to end it but he excuses himself to the bathroom and Renjun assures they can continue when he gets back; Jaemin so badly wants to continue this. He doesn’t want it to end.

So he rushes to the bathroom and it’s odd how empty it is aside from one other person. He doesn’t make eye contact as he goes to do what he came to do. He’s washing his hands when he lifts his gaze into the mirror only to catch the other person watching him. He’s really beautiful to say the least, but he isn’t saying anything. He’s just staring. Had he not been staring the way that he is, he’d have this cute boy look to him with his dark hair flopping about in his face.

When Jaemin turns around, he realizes the guy is a lot closer than he appeared to be. And he’s still not smiling. 

“Sorry,” Jaemin excuses as he tries to slip by (because this guy is blocking the pathway to the door.) The guy steps aside but now he’s completely blocking the door. His eyebrows lift and his lips stretch into a smile and he really would be cute if he wasn’t seemingly creepy right now.

“Going so soon?” the guy asks and his voice is so smooth and calming. There’s the hint of an accent in it, but Jaemin doesn’t want to assume. He looks up into the other’s face and he tenses. His eyes were so light just a moment ago but now he’s staring into the darkest black of eyes he’s ever seen. And he’s sneering. Jaemin takes a step back. 

“I’m meeting someone,” Jaemin explains. He starts to reach for his phone. If he could get a hold of Jisung or even just Renjun-

“That’s too bad,” he says. He’s smiling again. “You’re kind of cute.”

And then the guy lunges for him. Jaemin grunts as, not having made it out of the way in time and the next thing he knows, he’s on the floor with the guy on top of it and he really wishes he came more prepared. Or rather, he wished they’d stop attacking like this. And then he thinks that  _ of course _ he gets attacked on a night out. Of  _ fucking _ course he gets attacked when he’s just trying to have fun. The guy isn’t letting up; he’s on top of him and when Jaemin looks up, there’s the familiar flash of fangs. 

“Fuck  _ off _ !” he yells out, exasperated. Using his hands on the guy’s shoulders, he shoves his upper body to the right and with his right leg, he kicks at him. The guy hisses, completely letting up as his hands go to cup the front of his pants and Jaemin doesn’t waste any time as he rushes to a stand and hurries out of the bathroom. He’s breathing heavily as his eyes scan the dance floor. Not wanting to stand in a single place for too long, he goes onto it as he pulls out his phone. His hands are shaky as he pulls up a number and types out a message hurriedly. Then he looks for Renjun’s contact before realizing that he doesn’t even have his number. Or at least, he can’t find it. 

A hand touches his shoulder and he jolts, turning around quickly and in time to catch Renjun’s startled expression. “Jaemin?” he queries softly. “What’s the matter?” Concern replaces the startledness in seconds but Jaemin just shakes his head. So Renjun says his name again and then he’s shakily sighing.

“We need to go. I need to go. There’s…” He trails off and Renjun is still frowning. “There,” he says breathlessly as he catches sight of the guy from the bathroom. He’s walking over to them and Jaemin is tugging frantically at Renjun’s sleeve and he just needs to get out of there. He really can’t do this. He doesn’t  _ want  _ to do this. Not right now. He just wants to get out. When Renjun follows his gaze, he turns back to Jaemin and then he’s leading them to the door.

“Did you get hurt?” Renjun demands as they’re hurrying to the door. Jaemin is struggling to keep up, but he’s managing them and they’re almost at the door.

There’s a hand on his shoulder and it’s the guy again. Renjun pulls Jaemin toward him and hisses, “Do us a favour and  _ go away _ .” And then Renjun’s grip is gone as he steps passed him and fuck. Fuck, because he punches the guy and Jaemin cannot believe what he’s seeing. Renjun turns to look at him. “ _ Go _ , Jaemin!” He goes because in that moment, he was more scared of Renjun than the guy. Scared of what could happen if he didn’t go. 

He’s pushing between people as he makes for the exit. He practically stumbles out, but he doesn’t stop moving. In fact, once he’s out, he starts running. A little ways down the pavement until he’s reached the bar just as Taeyong walks out. When the elder sees him, his expression morphs from pure panic into relief. 

“I only saw your message now,” he says, but Jaemin barely hears him. He’s shaking so much and he just wants to stop. He wants to  _ stop _ and he wants to go back and see whether Renjun is okay. He didn’t even think to consider whether Mark or Haechan are alright. But they must be. Surely they are if Renjun’s still there. “Kid, are you alright?” Taeyong asks. But Jaemin isn’t. He’s so upset with himself. He’s so upset he can’t find the faintest bit of amusement in the fact that Taeyong is wearing slippers and a gown. Instead of asking again, he comes around to Jaemin who glances back, hoping to see Renjun. But he doesn’t.

Taeyong eases him up until he’s standing up rather than crouching over, and then he leads him inside.

Jaemin messages Haechan. He messages Mark. He messages Jisung. He’ll see them the next day, he promises. Taeyong insists he calm down and he can take the bus back in the morning. Jaemin hadn’t even realized how late it was. The night felt like the strangest, blurriest dream ever. And maybe it's because he had fun for the first time in years.

He messages Haechan again. But that’s because he wishes he could be messaging Renjun.


	17. Chapter 17

“You still haven’t heard from Renjun?” Jaemin queries. He’s pulling on a hoodie as he gets ready to leave for his meet up with Jisung; he needed coffee and Jisung needed to study so they came to a consensus to meet up and go to the coffee shop together. It was decided yesterday but Jaemin forgot, his mind having been occupied with Renjun. It’s been two days since the four of them went out and the only reason they knew Renjun was okay was because he contacted Mark with the word  _ safe _ . It isn’t enough to satisfy Jaemin’s worries.

“Nothing,” Mark says from Haechan’s bed. “I haven’t even seen him around.”

The day before, the three of them ended up staying in the room while Haechan was getting over his hangover and they explained to him what happened. Apparently, after Jaemin disappeared, so did Renjun. He hadn’t gone to go and find the two and so, when Mark saw Jaemin’s messages, he assumed that Renjun was with him. It wasn’t until he got back that they saw and Mark contacted Renjun who only left a single worded response. Mark explained that the two of them had been searching for them because Haechan had gone way passed tipsy and decided it was time to go home. Jaemin apologised profusely then, but the two insisted it was quite alright. 

“Should we be worried?” Jaemin asks. He’d rather not let on how worried he really was. “He still hasn’t contacted you.”

Mark smiles like he knows something. “No, I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

“He’s done this sort of thing before then?” He walks over to the desk and grabs his bag before looking over at Mark who nods.

“Not often, but occasionally. And he always comes back,” he assures and then makes a waving motion with his hand for him to go. “Go on. Don’t keep your friend waiting.” Haechan walks in then so Jaemin doesn’t feel as weird leaving Mark alone in their room (he’s sure Mark has been alone in it before when Haechan goes to shower much like now but those times he wasn’t around so he wasn’t aware of it, thus it didn’t bother him as much as it would have now had Haechan not come in.)

Jaemin meets up with Jisung outside the dorm building and the other is already speaking a mile a minute. Jaemin tenses a little when he hears Taeyong’s name and when he looks over, Jisung is looking at him. He looks curious as he stares and Jaemin feels a little uncomfortable. However, rather than admitting to that, he says, “What?”

“I heard about it from Taeyong, but not from you,” Jisung says. “I want to hear it from you.” Jaemin doesn’t need to ask what he’s speaking about the attack from the other day and really, he isn’t all that surprised that Taeyong told him (because all Jaemin told Jisung was that they were going to have to reschedule their meet up for the day prior.)

“What did you hear?” Jaemin queries. Rather know what he heard first than tell him anything he already knew.

“All I know is that you were attacked and that Taeyong let you stay the night.” So he didn’t know  _ everything _ . 

So Jaemin fills him in. He tells him all that happened (with the exception of the in between. Jisung didn’t need to know about why they had been there and what happened before the attack.) 

“So it wasn’t Lucas then?” Jisung queries and Jaemin confirms it with a shake of a head. “It’s weird how you’re always getting attacked,” Jisung notes aloud as they make their way into the coffee shop and find their seats. The girl nods and Jaemin thinks she’s a little pleased to be seeing them again. He isn’t too sure though.

“I’m pretty sure I have some sort of sign hanging over my head,” Jaemin grumbles. He pulls out a book and turns back to Jisung who is smiling. “What?” Jaemin asks when he doesn’t say anything.

“That, or you must have really tasty blood,” Jisung snickers. 

Jaemin rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well if you’re so funny, let’s see how well you remember last week’s work.” 

Jisung’s eyes widen, and Jaemin smiles sweetly.

*

Not wanting to stay out too late, the two head on back when it starts getting dark. Jisung and him part ways when they were on the younger’s floor and Jaemin goes to the bathrooms first. After seeing Haechan’s message about sleeping out at Mark’s again, Jaemin felt a little tight chested. Seeing as Mark still hasn’t heard anything from Renjun, Jaemin was going to have to lock the door and shut the window again. He didn’t really feel like going to the bathroom in the middle of the night what with his luck with all the attacks lately. Frankly, if he was walking with a sign, he wished they wouldn’t attack at random times when he  _ wasn’t _ prepared. Or when he wasn’t having fun, because now he just needed Renjun to message Mark so he could know that he was alright. So he could get Renjun off his mind. 

And, fuck.

Fuck, not because the room door is open, but because there he was in all his alive glory. (Think of the devil and they shall appear.) He looked completely unharmed; there are no bruises on his face and he looks perfectly fine which has Jaemin feeling a swarm of relief because truthfully, he was half expecting Renjun to show up looking like he became a punching bag. He’s walking over quietly and then Renjun turns his head and their eyes lock and Renjun stands up. Jaemin doesn’t stop walking until he’s right in front of Renjun. They stare for a whole moment before Jaemin hits him on the arm.

Renjun’s eyebrows pinch together as his hand flies to cover where Jaemin hit him. 

“You had me worried, you asshole!” Jaemin yells without meaning to. It is like the words slipped past and just came out. The frustration in his voice feels as though he’s been suppressing it for ages and maybe he was. Maybe him worrying suppressed the frustration toward this whole situation. But he wasn’t upset.

“I’m sorry,” Renjun murmurs. His eyes are the softest brown and he offers a timid smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you are too,” Jaemin says. Renjun has said that exact line to him before, Jaemin thinks. The difference was that Jaemin didn’t actually reply. This time he did. Because he was. He’s so glad that Renjun is okay. They don’t say anything this time and instead, walk into the room. 

Jaemin goes to put his bag down, and he turns around to say something when hands cup either side of his face and there’s the softest brush of lips against his own and against every single sign that is warning him off is brushed aside as Jaemin closes the gap between their bodies and his arms wrap around Renjun’s waist to pull him closer (as if that was even possible) and he kisses him back. It’s a mess, Jaemin thinks. It’s a mess, but it’s somehow perfect. 

And fuck, if it took an attack to get Renjun to kiss him like this, he supposes he wouldn’t mind them as much. As long as Renjun was with him. 


	18. Chapter 18

Their schedules were a complete mess.

Haechan is in the room with Mark today. All semester tests are over and the days of exams only seem to be looming over. Closer and closer which meant that more study sessions were scheduled and everyone saw less of each other. Jaemin only looked forward to the semester break that would follow exam season.

“Are you spending the night with Mark again?” Jaemin asks because apparently Renjun was the sort to leave messages unread or untouched until he found the time to get to it. They’ve been on and off texting since the kiss, but haven’t spoken to each other. They haven’t had the talk about what the kiss meant and ever since then, they’ve been narrowly missing each other because of their schedule. (Schedules be damned.)

“Yeah,” Haechan murmurs. “So Renjun will be here again.” Jaemin doesn’t miss the look the other casts his way but he does pretend he doesn’t see it as he grabs his bag. He pulls on a coat and just as he’s about to open the door, it pushes open and Renjun steps in. They just about miss bumping into each other and when they lock eyes, Jaemin instinctively looks away, his cheeks warming just the slightest bit. 

“Sorry,” Renjun murmurs. Jaemin shakes his head.

“It’s alright,” He assures. 

There’s a moment of awkwardness as the two of them continue to stand there. Jaemin snaps himself out of it and turns around in time to catch Jisung about to knock on the door. He straightens as he spots Jaemin and then he pulls a face. “Is this a bad time?” he asks and Jaemin shakes his head quickly.

“I was just about to get you downstairs,” he replies and then turns to the three in the room. “Uh, so I’ll see you guys,” he says and with one final glance at Renjun, he nods his head and he’s exiting the room with Jisung. 

“Everything alright?” Jisung queries. “That seemed a little awkward.”

Jaemin doesn’t respond because really, he wasn’t wrong. Boy, Jisung didn’t even know half of it.

*

“Well, well, look who it is.” Xiaojun is working today. He’s leaning on the counter, hands pressed flat against it and watching them as they take their seats. His hair is gelled back and somehow, his eyes are more intense and dark; Jaemin remains unsettled so rather than having to stare into them (because for whatever reason, this guy actually makes eye contact with people and Jaemin struggles not to meet gazes), he looks around the place while Jisung orders for the both of them. 

The place is rather empty; only three people here and out of those three, one happened to be seated two seats away from Jaemin. It’s a guy paging through a magazine. Xiaojun walks over and pours coffee into the cup by the male’s hand before actually getting to their order. 

“So, I heard you got attacked again,” Xiaojun says, rather loudly. Jaemin keeps his gaze on the guy by the counter. He wonders whether Xiaojun even realized the male was there that he was talking way too loudly. “Oi.”

Jaemin turns. “What? Oh, yeah. So what about it?”

“You’re turning attacks into a little habit,” Xiaojun says. “You should be careful,” he warns. 

“I’m not really trying to get attacked,” Jaemin mutters as he pulls the glass closer to him. He can feel Xiaojun staring, but he’d much rather stare at the bar counter than make eye contact. He shifts in his seat and as he lifts his gaze, he catches the bartender’s gaze and Jaemin cannot help but follow it because rather than having his gaze on Jaemin, it was on the male a couple of seats over. “Do you know him?” Jaemin queries.

Xiaojun’s gaze shoots over to him, but he doesn’t say anything. So Jaemin decides that just this once, he’ll voice a possible assumption. “Or are you staring because you think he’s cute?” At this, Xiaojun’s eyes flash and for a moment, Jaemin thinks he’s really done it. Maybe he finally managed to piss this guy off. He contemplates what would happen if the other tried to punch him, because his eyes appear angry enough for him to act upon something like that. 

“Oh, he definitely thinks I’m cute.” It’s the guy talking now. Jaemin turns his head and the guy is looking at them. He’s got this big smile and his hair is even messier than it appeared from the side. His eyes turn up a little as he smiles and if Jaemin met him in any other circumstance, he would probably see him as a dorky kind of cute. The guy closes the magazine and slides it over the counter. “He just won’t admit it,” he continues and then turns in his seat so that he’s facing Jaemin and Jisung. (He can feel Jisung leaning over his shoulder as he watches the exchange, but he doesn’t have anything against it so he doesn’t say anything.)

“I do  _ not _ think you’re cute,” Xiaojun mutters. Jaemin cannot help the feeling of surprise. He never expected to see Xiaojun pouty and right now, that was the exact expression his face was making. 

“I’m hurt,” the guy says, though his tone is more amused than anything else. 

“That’s a mean thing to say to your boyfriend.” Taeyong makes his way behind the counter and grins as his eye catches Jaemin and Jisung. It’s nice being greeted with a warm welcome, he must admit. “Jaemin, Jisung, this is Yangyang,” he introduces.

“Jaemin as in the newbie?” Yangyang queries with a tilt of his head. Jaemin pulls a face in response.

“Are you a hunter as well?” he asks as a means of avoiding the question. Compared to Xiaojun, he was more smiley. 

“That I am. Longer in the game than Xiaojun, but better at staying out of the way,” he says and the way he grins makes Jaemin wonder if he’s joking. He doesn’t ask and he doesn’t get a chance as there’s a tap at the counter to gain their attention again. He turns around.

“So the vampire that attacked you the other night,” Taeyong starts. Xiaojun leans in and Yangyang moves to the seat beside Jaemin. Jisung leans in as well and Jaemin nods at Taeyong. “He’s apparently well-known for attacking places like these. Clubs, bars, parties and really any place where there is going to be a bunch of people gathering and getting drunk.”

“Where did you find this out?”

Taeyong pauses. “The head of hunters,” he supplies after a moment. “Kwon Jiyong. It’s our duty to inform the head of any attacks and they usually keep a record. Apparently they’ve been keeping tabs on this specific vampire.”

“So you know the name?” Jisung asks rather impatiently. There’s the hint of a smile before Taeyong composes himself. He nods and then he’s standing up straight and he looks anything but pleased. 

“He goes by the name Hendery,” Taeyong starts. “And he’s one of the oldest vampires we have managed to encounter yet.”

  
  



	19. Chapter 19

Thinking about their conversation was scary. The fact that not even the oldest of hunters had faced a vampire this old (because apparently, all hunters have not failed to kill the vampires of their time. But that information got mixed somewhere down the line because Hendery was one of the eighteenth century vampires. Meaning someone in the hunter line either didn’t know he existed, couldn’t keep up with him, failed to kill him or died themselves.)

Apparently, some hunters are assigned vampires to kill. Or at least, that is how it used to be. Even his dad used to tell him stories like that. But that was way back when they could be in one place altogether. A vampire attack occurred in the late nineteenth century and the hunters organisation (or whatever they wished to be called) decided that for the safety of their hunters, and the higher chances of going unseen when hunting them down, they should split up. And that's how the bars were created. There’s one in every city with as little hunters as possible. 

He kept thinking back to the night of the attack. The face of the vampire and how he was no longer unknown. Much like Lucas, he now had a name. (A name and a face to place in his nightmares.)

“Are you okay?” Haechan is frowning when Jaemin looks at him. He’s been so dazed that he lost himself for a moment. 

He offers Haechan a smile. “I’m alright,” he says, eyes falling back to the notes in front of him.

Exam week (it’s what they called it around here even though it lasted at least two weeks) was practically around the corner and Jaemin would be damned if he let himself fail because he was too busy worrying about a vampire that he hasn’t crossed paths with since the club. Nevermind the fact that he was still bothered he and Renjun haven’t gotten a chance to speak since their kiss. Which felt even weirder.

“You seem out of it,” his roommate notes. He’s picked up that Haechan does this often. He tends to ask a question and then he’ll note the reason he asked the question. Jaemin knows he doesn’t need a reply and so, instead, he apologizes softly. The two go back to work in silence. It’s like this for the first three hours, the two ensuring that they take breaks between.

It’s into the late afternoon and approximately hour five when there is a knock at their door. Jaemin looks up from his book long enough to share a glance with Haechan who nods his head in the direction of the door. Jaemin rolls his eyes and goes back to looking at the door. There is certainly no point in him answering if it’s just going to be Mark again (he always came around hour five, like it was some sort of schedule though knowing the two of them, it probably is.)

“Are you going to answer or should we tell them to come in?” Haechan queries. 

“Do I really have a choice?”

“Not really but it usually feels better when you think that you do,” Haechan grins. Jaemin cannot help but roll his eyes as he gets up from the bed and goes to open the door. He expects to find Mark standing outside, but instead, when he lifts his gaze, he’s surprised to see Renjun instead. 

He seems nervous as he stands there with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans and the rigidness in his shoulders. Despite the fact that he was the one who came here, he looked more surprised than Jaemin felt when he looked up. His lips pull into a smile, but it doesn’t seem all too real. It’s like he’s way too nervous to even be smiling in the first place. His eyes keep flickering from Jaemin to the floor and then to Haechan. 

“Hey,” he says. There’s a twinkle in his eye. A twinkle that tells Jaemin the other has some sort of plan. He isn’t just here for Haechan, no. There’s something else on his agenda.

“Hey,” Jaemin replies politely. He wants to hit himself. “What brings you here?” he adds on, and this time allows a mental pat on the back. He leans against the doorway, arms folded across his chest as he watches the other. 

“Could I borrow you for a little bit?” 

Jaemin almost smiles. “Borrow me?”

“Yes,” he stammers and Jaemin cannot recall a single moment that Renjun ever stammered (and maybe it’s the cutest thing ever.) “Borrow you. Not that you’re an item to borrow but perhaps we could go somewhere and I could borrow your time,” he rushes. This time Jaemin actually smiles because Renjun who always seemed soft and perfect and incapable of nerves was nervous and  _ showing  _ it.

“Sure, you can borrow my time,” Jaemin replies. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Renjun nods and he looks like he’s ready to say something but decides against it. Jaemin pushes himself to a stand and tells Haechan he’ll be back soon. (He caught Haechan smirking as he shut the door which felt a little weird.)

“So where are you taking me to borrow my time?” Jaemin asks when the silence surrounds them. He and Renjun walk side by side as they make their way down the stairs and he can’t help but wonder where he was being taken. The only other thing more prominent in his mind is why his time was being requested for borrowing. 

“Thought you might like some coffee.” Jaemin glances at Renjun who looks pleased and it’s most definitely because he  _ knows _ he isn’t wrong. 

They head to the little cafe (God forbid Jaemin ever took note of the name of the place. It had the smallest little sign above the doorway and majority of the time, he barely noticed it when he was entering no matter who he was with. It wasn’t like the other little cafes nor the diners that had their name on the window and they didn’t have specially marked cutlery with their name. Really it was only that little sign) and sit down at the table Jaemin always managed to occupy when he came around. 

“So,” Renjun says once the waitress is done taking their order (mostly just asking Renjun wanted and confirming whether Jaemin would have his regular). His hands are folded together in front of him and Jaemin doesn’t miss the way he’s fiddling with his fingers. 

“So,” Jaemin repeats, and he offers a soft smile, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asks. Of course they’ve seen each other since the kiss. Renjun is the one often occupying the bed in their dorm room so they always see each other, but it’s never long enough. It’s been a while since they’ve gotten to sit the way they’re sitting now and he thinks this may have been the reason Renjun showed up. If they didn’t talk about the kiss at some point, were they ever going to?

“Yeah, it has.” Renjun smiles. The waitress brings their orders and Renjun switches to holding his cup rather than fiddling with his hands. “You probably know that I brought you here for a reason,” he chuckles.

“Well, I’d be worried if I didn’t.”

“I’ve done some thinking. Since that day,” Renjun explains and before Jaemin can so much as try to think over the words placed in front of him, he continues. “Jaemin, will you go out with me?”

His heart stops. For a split second, his heart stops and then it’s speeding up and he’s too scared to pick up his cup because either his hands will be shaking or he’ll only end up dropping it. 

“Go out with you?” he manages after a screeching halt of a moment. Renjun’s eyes flicker.

“Yeah,” he says and clears his throat. He lifts his gaze and they’re looking each other dead in the eye as he continues. “Jaemin, will you go out with me? Will you be my boyfriend?”

He looks so nervous that Jaemin wants to reach over the table and hug him. He wants to tell him it’s okay. But he doesn’t. Instead, he stretches out an arm and places a hand over Renjun’s hand and he smiles.

“Yes, I will.”


	20. Chapter 20

Exams were hell.

The two weeks were a complete blur, what with all the studying and cramming and late night sessions before each exam. Busy got busier and coffee was the only thing fueling the entirety of the campus. What Jaemin remembers was that they were hell, but that hell was nearing its end. They were a few days away from the last exam which meant a few days away from semester break. Jaemin was psyched because he’d get to go home. It feels like it’s been forever since he saw his dad or even heard from him. He couldn’t wait.

But before that, he needed to finish up this side.

Jisung is waiting outside his dorm this morning, holding a holder with two cups of coffee in one hand and an open notebook in the other. His eyes were flickering across the pages as he leaned against the wall. They were writing their Political History paper two today. Purely essay questions and Jisung dreads those questions. He says that he’s better at reading the comprehension based questions with the whole paragraph reading and giving answers to questions that followed. Jaemin didn’t mind them but he had a preference for the essays. That’s how the two usually helped each other. 

“Good morning to you too,” Jaemin greets as he takes the cup holder from Jisung. The other looks over, eyebrows lifting up as if in surprise and then he goes back to the book. Jaemin bites back a teasing smile. “Nervous?”

“No, not at all.” The sarcasm rolls off his tongue easily and Jaemin sort of wants to laugh. Jisung sighs. “I’m really stressed. Why do we need to have  _ two  _ papers? We could have had one and have them mix up the questions, you know?”

“Sung, we’ve had this conversation before,” Jaemin replies. Which is true. They’ve had so many of these conversations and once, Jisung even went up to the lecturer. Kun was  _ not  _ pleased considering it was immediately after a test, where they also separated the questions the way they did now. 

Jisung sighs. “I  _ know _ . That’s besides the point,” he mutters. They’re almost at the venue and Jisung’s paging only gets more frantic. He’s trying to rush himself and despite it being somewhat amusing, Jaemin walks in front of him and turns around, placing his hands on Jisung’s shoulders to stop him. It isn’t until a moment passes that Jisung looks up. “What are you doing—”

“It is going to be  _ fine _ , Sung,” Jaemin interrupts quickly. His hands loosen their grip as he offers a small smile. “You know your work. I know that and so do you. You’re going to be just fine because you have studied more than enough. You cramming like this will end up in you blanking if you don’t stop. Okay?” He lowers his arms and takes a step back before nudging his head in the direction their exam venue was. “Now, let’s go.”

Jisung doesn’t say anything, but the smile he flashes before they start walking again is more than sufficient. 

*

Renjun is waiting outside the venue when Jaemin walks out. Instead of remotely acknowledging him, he walks straight up to the other, arms outstretched and hands making a pinching moment. 

Renjun rolls his eyes, but nevertheless hands over the cup of coffee.

“I knew there was a reason I said yes,” Jaemin jokes. “An ever promising supplier of coffee  _ and  _ you’re fucking cute.”

“I suppose it’s fine that you exploit me if you think I’m cute,” Renjun replies, and if it weren’t for the teasing twinkle in his eye, Jaemin would have taken him seriously (although, perhaps not entirely.) He holds out a hand and Jaemin hands him his pens and the ruler (because he liked underlining his question headings if he found the time after he finished), stopping in his tracks despite Renjun assuring him it was okay to continue walking as he put the items away in his bag. When he hears the sound of the zipper shutting and Renjun is by his side, he continues walking. 

“Thank you.” Jaemin cannot help but smile as the two proceed to head toward the dorms. Renjun and himself, despite having decided to be an item, have not had the opportunity to go on an actual date. Renjun explained one late night when they were helping each other study, that he rushed straight to the boyfriend title because he knew that exam time on the asses and they would be far too occupied with that to think about any sort of outings. Thus lead to the beginning of their relationship that mostly consisted of the dorm room, coffees after an exam and helping each other study. Occasionally it consisted of pulling each other out of the crash zone and assisting in distractions which was when they got the chance to watch a movie now and again. Jaemin didn’t mind it. In fact, if he must admit, he loved it. 

“Of course,” Renjun replies. He reaches out for Jaemin’s free hand and intertwines their fingers. He’s slowly become less nervous since they decided to go out with each other and Jaemin adored it. It made Renjun more confident which only seemed to make him cuter. “How was the exam?”

“It was good. Essays are fun to write, I must admit.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Renjun chuckles. 

“You never wrote any?” Jaemin queries with a glance at his boyfriend. (It’s still weird to be thinking that and he still cannot believe it. He fights off a smile at the mere thought.)

“Oh, no, I did. Of course I did. I just dislike them,” the other admits. “Majorly.”

Jaemin pouts. “You make me feel like a freak.”

“You’re not a freak. Just a little dorky.” Renjun kisses his cheek and Jaemin grins. “Which is more than fine.” 

They get to the room just as Haechan is opening the door. Mark arrives from down the hall and flashes them a smile before following the other in. 

“You guys didn’t have an exam today?” Jaemin queries, shutting the door behind him. He drops his bag beside the desk and joins Renjun on his bed. 

Mark sits down and shakes his head. “Mine is tomorrow,” he says as he leans back on the pillow. “Haechan wrote today though. His second last paper.”

Jaemin lifts his brows. “Really? So, that’s good right? One last paper and you can head home,” he says. The look Haechan shoots him as him regretting his words though he doesn’t know why. He looks at Mark who sighs.

“He’s going home with me this break. So he’s stuck here until my last paper.”

“You know that is not the problem,” Haechan bites. He turns around to face Jaemin and Renjun and gives a forced smile. “Staying here is completely fine. It’s the fact that I’m seeing his mother that’s the problem. She hates me with such a passion. The only reason she’s letting me come is because Mark threatened not to come home unless I could.”

“Home wasn’t an option?” Jaemin queries in the hopes of turning the topic lighter. Which, by much luck, it does. Haechan smiles in a way that is easily calmer than the previous one though his eye holds a tinge of sadness. 

“No. My mom is going overseas to see her parents. It’s been forever, and dad insisted he go with her because she’s afraid of flying alone. So I’ll visit them another time,” he explains. He excuses himself then to head to the showers.

“So, what about you?” Mark asks. He’s looking at Jaemin and his eyes are so smoky that if he wasn’t smiling, Jaemin thinks he’d feel a bit intimidated. “What are your plans?”

“I’m heading home,” Jaemin says. “Haven’t seen my dad since I got here so we’ll get to catch up.” He leans into Renjun until their shoulders are touching. 

Mark’s eyes flicker over to Renjun. “And you’re alone again this year, Jun?” 

Jaemin feels the way Renjun tenses, but doesn’t say anything nor does he look at him. 

“Yeah. I’ll probably stay here in the dorms. Heard some third years saying that that is what they’re doing,” Renjun replies and although he hasn’t relaxed since the question was asked, his tone is smooth and easy. 

Jaemin frowns , but before he can say something, Haechan walks in grumbling (something about a dude jumping the line and the rest of the showers being occupied) and grabs his bag before looking over at Mark. Haechan is already out the door while Mark gives a wave. He hurries after his boyfriend, shutting the door behind them and then it’s just the two of them.

“Well,” Renjun starts as he starts to get up. “I still have a paper tomorrow. Better get started—”

“You’d be alone,” Jaemin says simply. 

“What?” Renjun frowns. 

“During semester break. If you stayed here, you would be alone.”

“Well, yeah. But I’m used to it so it’s alright.”

Jaemin narrows his eyes. “It’s not fair for you to be alone, though. Used to it or not, I don’t care.”

Renjun sighs. He stands from the bed and moves his bag to the other bed. “Yeah, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I don’t really have anywhere to go. Home is definitely not an option.”

“What if you came with me?”

He turns his head so fast, Jaemin is surprised he doesn’t end up with whiplash. “Excuse me?”

“Come home with me for break. I can let my dad know and he certainly wouldn’t mind.” Jaemin cannot stop the eagerness from slipping into his voice. He’s practically on the edge of the bed now. “Please?”

“Jaemin…”

“I don’t like the idea of you being alone,” Jaemin murmurs. “So, please,” he adds with a glance up at the other who is looking down at him. He looks ready to say something and his brows are furrowed in a way that tells Jaemin he is considering it. He’s most definitely wanting to just sit and study so he won’t consider for too long. 

Renjun sighs. And then he is smiling. “Alright. As long as your dad is alright with it.”

Jaemin practically jumps off the bed as he hugs Renjun.

“Okay, okay,” he chuckles. “Now, come on, Min. We have papers to study for.” And Jaemin is so pleased that he agrees without so much as a teasing remark.


	21. Chapter 21

Haechan is a distraught mess when Jaemin enters the room. 

It’s their last day here and he’d written his final paper this morning, only coming out not too long ago. Originally, he and Renjun had planned to meet up after their paper which would have been fine had they not mixed up times. As it turns out, Renjun only started an hour before Jaemin finished and so, he was on the other side of the campus with the others who wrote the same hours as he did. However, Jaemin almost forgot that Haechan was going home with Mark. What with his roommate barely being in their room in the first place, Jaemin was lucky he remembered who his original roommate was.

Entering their room, Jaemin came to a stop before he could so much as enter properly.

Haechan is pacing beside his bed covered from the head to the foot with clothing and if Jaemin squinted, he could vaguely make out the suitcase that was there. He didn’t even notice that Jaemin was there.

“Haechan?” Jaemin queries, walking in slowly. 

Haechan stops long enough to spare a glance in his direction, and then he’s back to pacing. Jaemin sighs and, after dropping his bag onto the bed, steps over to Haechan’s side of the room and puts an arm in front of his roommate. 

“What?” Haechan groans, eyes flashing furiously. Then, as if realizing himself, his shoulders relax a little and he steps back with a sigh. “Sorry,” he murmurs, taking a seat on the bed (and sitting on a t-shirt in the process, but Jaemin stays quiet.)

“What’s the matter, Haechan?”

“It’s semester break tomorrow, Jaemin,” he says as if it is that obvious. “I’m going through with Mark  _ tomorrow _ .”

“Right,” Jaemin says, brows furrowing. “You’re going home with him.”

Haechan shakes his head. He looks about ready to pull his hairs out and Jaemin cannot tell whether he’s stressed or because of any sort of anxiety he was feeling toward the situation.

“So what’s wrong?” Jaemin murmurs, taking a seat on his own bed. He leans forward and clasps his hands together, eyes never leaving the other as he waits for him to say something. Haechan looks up at him and Jaemin cannot help but be surprised by the pure fear and horror in the other male’s eyes. 

“What’s  _ wrong  _ is I’m going home with Mark tomorrow. His mother absolutely hates me and I doubt I’ll be making it home alive,” he groans. His tone takes a tilt halfway through and is a little more high pitched than the first part of his sentence. “His mother hates me. She’s always glaring at me and dinners were awkward. Being there for the entirety of semester break? I don’t know if I could do that,” he mutters, pressing his forehead into his palms. “She’ll hate me even more considering I almost kept her  _ little boy _ ,” he mimics what he imagines would be Mark’s mother in this case before continuing after a pause, “Almost kept him from coming home.”

The door opens then and only Jaemin glances over as Mark and Renjun walk in. One look at his boyfriend and Mark is hurrying over to his side. Not a word is exchanged between the two before Mark is already saying, “It’s going to be okay, Haechan. It’s going to be okay,” he says and there is a plea in his voice as he takes hold of Haechan’s hands, gently easing them from the other’s face. He places a hand under Haechan’s chin and eases his head up until they’re locking gazes. 

“She  _ hates _ me, Mark. She’s going to bake me into a pie and that’s if I’m lucky,” Haechan whines softly. 

Jaemin, not much pleased with the distraughtness of his roommate, interjects. “So what if she hates you?” he queries. His question earns the attention of the entire room, but he doesn’t give them a chance to speak as he continues. “That’s on her and only her. You’re not a hateable person, Haechan. You’re probably one of the most likeable people I’ve ever met.” The words are out there and it's far too late for him to take them back so he remains seated the way that he is. They’re all staring at him, but he believes he hasn’t said anything wrong. He just hopes the first bit wasn’t too offensive—

“Did you really just say that?” Haechan murmurs, but he’s smiling and his eyes may even be tearing up. “Was that a compliment from the Na Jaemin?” 

Jaemin flushes, the tips of his ears burning. He nods.

“Come here and give me a hug!” Haechan is already out of his seat and pulling Jaemin up and into an embrace. They’re both smiling and Jaemin catches Mark smiling as well. 

As they pull apart, Mark nods. “Well, now that we’ve calmed Haechan down, shall we get your things packed before we head to the room?” 

“We’ll help,” Jaemin says. When Renjun doesn’t interject, he safely assumes the other is agreeing.

*

Mark and Haechan are gone and it’s only Jaemin and Renjun.

They’re seated on his bed side by side with the laptop propped up on Renjun’s lap and Jaemin holds their coffees while the bowl of popcorn rests on his lap. He rests his head against the other’s shoulder.

“So,” Renjun starts as he scrolls through the list of movies. “Do I need to be as afraid as Haechan is?”

Jaemin lifts his head. “Of my dad?” He smiles, holding back the scoff that starts to form. “Of course not. My dad is going to like you. He was pleased to hear me bringing someone home,” Jaemin admits and he watches as the crinkle forms along Renjun’s forehead. 

“You don’t date much I’m guessing?”

Sheepish and a little embarrassed, Jaemin shrugs. “I’ve had one boyfriend other than you,” he murmurs. He doesn’t really want to speak more about it so he turns his head back to the screen and scrolls clicks on their selected movie for the evening. 

Seeming to understand, Renjun shifts his gaze back to the screen and this time, he rests his head on Jaemin’s shoulder. And despite the assurance he’s given Renjun, he already feels a little nervous to be introducing his new boyfriend to his father.


	22. Chapter 22

“So you’re absolutely sure your dad isn’t going to hate me?”

They’ve been over this before they so much as left the dorm room, never mind leaving the campus yet. To say that Renjun was nervous would be the biggest understatement of the year. 

Before they left, Jaemin stopped by to say goodbye to Jisung who even seemed to be able to tell how nervous Renjun was. He tried assuring the other, but when the question of whether he had met Jaemin’s father came up, the little, budding relief deteriorated into thin air and Renjun was an anxious ball.

“I’m absolutely sure, Ren,” Jaemin murmurs as he pulls into the parking lot of a McDonalds. They were halfway to his house already and he figured they could use the bathroom break; that and they hadn’t gotten a chance to eat anything other than snacks so Jaemin figured now was as good of a time as any. 

They climb out together and make their way inside. Rather than waiting inside the actual bathroom like some creep, Jaemin goes to place an order when he comes out to find no Renjun. (Considering he already knows what Renjun likes, he figures this would shorten the waiting period for their food. The place was moderately filled with people and there was a short queue.) Accepting the slip, he makes his way over to a table.

Renjun joins him a few moments later and for a brief couple of minutes, they sit in pure silence. Until Jaemin turns to him. “You know, you seem exceptionally nervous about the idea of meeting my dad,” he starts. He watches the way Renjun’s eyes cloud over and his shoulders tense like he knows there’s going to be a question and he isn’t sure how to brace himself for it. Nonetheless, Jaemin continues. “Have you met a partner’s parents before? Or is this a first?” He questions, hoping to ease his tone as much as possible. 

Renjun looks him in the eye and his gaze softens. “I just haven’t had the best track record with parents,” he admits, gaze flickering over to the counter as they call out a number. “And I kind of just want to make a good impression, you know?”

It means more to him than he would ever admit to Renjun. His dad was the most important person in his life so knowing how much Renjun was willing to do to gain approval was such a heartwarming move. Jaemin smiles and shakes his head. “Just be yourself,” he tells his boyfriend. Standing up, he tugs the other boy’s sleeve as they go to the counter to collect their items.

“Last I checked, I made a terrible first impression with you,” Renjun whines.

He chuckles. “Perhaps, but I thought you were interesting. Last I checked interest isn’t such a terrible impression,” he reminds him. They climb into the car and they’re off again. 

After much insistence and proof that he can drive, Renjun switches places with Jaemin. “You’re dozing off at the wheel. We cannot be getting into a car accident because you’re too stubborn to believe me.” His cheeks were all puffed as he said this that Jaemin simply couldn’t  _ not  _ give in. And so, for the rest of the drive, he’s asleep in the passenger seat (Jaemin plucked in the coordinates to his house so Renjun could follow the GPS.) Renjun shook him awake for what felt like seconds after he’d fallen asleep, but in actual fact was a good half an hour. When he looked up, they were outside the little cottage sized house Jaemin called home. He could barely hold the smile that broke across his face (although that was after the first few moments of him waking up and taking everything in.)

“We’re here,” he tells Renjun as though the other hadn’t been the one to drive them there. “We’re actually here, Junnie!” he practically exclaims as he wraps his arms around Renjun in a tight embrace. He’s far too excited to be calm right now, and when Renjun returns his embrace just as tightly, he tells himself that it is okay to be excited. 

They pull apart and Renjun offers a timid smile. “Shall we go and meet my death in the face?” he jokes. Without waiting for an answer, he climbs out of the car and Jaemin follows a moment later. Together, they grab their bags from the trunk.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Renjun mutters. 

Jaemin lifts a hand to knock, but before his hand touches the door, it swings open and he’s pulled into a hug. He releases his hold of the bags and wraps his arms around his father in a returning embrace and it’s so warm and not like any hug he’s received in a while because this is his dad and it’s actually him. For a moment, he feels like a kid again. He’s always been smaller than his dad, but the way they’re hugging now hasn’t happened in years.

“Welcome home, Minnie,” he hears his dad whisper as they pull apart. Jaemin cannot help but smile.

“Hey, dad.” 

When his dad’s smile falters for a moment, he follows his gaze and he almost smacks himself for forgetting about Renjun. He picks the bags back up and then throws an arm around the other, though Renjun and his dad seem to be having some sort of staring contest. 

“Dad,” Jaemin practically announces, “This is Renjun. Renjun, this is my dad.”

There isn’t much acknowledgement from either of them. Though his dad does realize that they’ve been standing outside for quite some time and steps aside for them to come in (though Jaemin caught their neighbours staring from their balcony so maybe that had to do with why they were being ushered in as though hiding some big secret celebrity.) The door shuts behind them while Jaemin is taking everything in; it’s like he’s come to something of the past. It’s just how he remembers it.

Except a little messier.

“I messed up your return date,” his father excuses. “I’ll start cleaning up. You and Renjun can settle in.”

“Are you sure? I could always help if you need it.”

His dad smiles. “No, it’s fine. Go and settle in.”

Jaemin narrows his eyes, but he’s still smiling. “You’re going to ask me to make supper, aren’t you?”

“I’ve got all your ingredients ready,” his dad grins. It’s odd, Jaemin thinks. He’s always thought that. His dad had what kids would consider a scary face, so whenever he smiled, it almost didn’t seem to fit, or seemed unexpected and out of character. But Jaemin liked it when he was smiling considering it was most of his life. He preferred seeing a smile rather than a scowl. “So you and Renjun can head inside and settle in while I clean up.”

Considering the finality in the tone, Jaemin doesn’t push further. Instead, he turns around and nudges his head in the direction of the rooms. Renjun follows behind him. It isn’t too far of a walk. The house was small, with only two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a and a kitchen that looked out into the backyard. He leads Renjun down the passage to the room at the very end. Considering the door never closed properly, he nudges it open with his hip and walks in. Placing the bags down, he turns around. “Watch the mattress,” he says as Renjun walks in. 

He places the bags down on the bed and turns around to take in Jaemin’s room. It isn’t much, but it's home, Jaemin thinks. A desk beside the doorway, his bed along the wall to his left and next to the window, his cupboard on the other side, along the wall to his right and a bookshelf just beside it, filled with books, manga and little collectibles.  _ A kid’s room _ , he thinks as he takes in the marvel, dc and harry potter posters (some even on the ceiling because there wasn’t space on the walls.)  _ Definitely what he’s seeing. A kid’s room _ , he thinks, and he wants to hide.

“So this is where you grew up?” His voice is gentle, and warm. As he turns around, he’s smiling. 

“You think it’s funny.” Jaemin looks away, crossing his arms. He’s about to say something else when a set of hands cup the sides of his cheeks and his head is guided until he’s lips are touching Renjun’s. His eyes flutter closed, and the kiss is brief. 

“It’s wonderful having the opportunity to see where you grew up,” Renjun whispers. Jaemin places his hands over his boyfriend’s and smiles sheepishly. He takes a step back and nods toward the door. 

They make their way inside where his father has finished cleaning up and after much assurance that it would be okay, Jaemin heads to the kitchen while Renjun sits in the living room with his dad. There’s the faint murmur of chatter, which he takes as a good sign. By the time the food is done, his dad and Renjun are watching a movie which the three continue as they eat together around their little coffee table.

This is a great break he’s managed to catch, Jaemin thinks, considering all the attacks he’s managed to come to face in the last few months.


	23. Chapter 23

There’s something oddly satisfying and heartwarming about waking up beside someone you care about. For Jaemin, it’s a little different than waking up in the same room as they have been for the past half of the year. When he wakes up, he’s on the mattress (which is in the pull out bit of the bed) and he looks up to find Renjun fast asleep. His head rests on the pillow  _ and  _ his arm and he can see the way that he’s breathing; Jaemin releases a breathy sigh.

Inside, his dad is already up.

“Morning,” Jaemin murmurs, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

“You sleep alright?” his dad queries, cracking an egg into a bowl. “You two were up late,” he notes and Jaemin thinks he catches sight of a smile across his face, though he could just be imagining it. 

“Yeah,” he assures his father. “Just settling in. It’s the first time we’ve gotten a proper chance to talk without the weight of exams,” he explains although he knows he doesn’t need to. He knows he doesn’t need to be explaining himself, especially not to his dad, but this little piece of information felt worth sharing. The conversation they had last night was one of the best; for the first time it wasn’t about exams or vampires. It was about everything and nothing and he felt remarkably normal for those couple of hours. 

“That’s good.” His tone sounds off, however. As if there were something else that were bothering him. Jaemin watches his father closely, his mind flashing back to when they arrived and he’d seen Renjun, and he cannot help but wonder whether there was something wrong there. But was it even possible? Before he can ask anything, his father speaks up again. “How long are you two together now?”

“Oh, well, we started dating right before exams,” Jaemin replies. “We’ve known each other since the beginning of the semester though.”

“And he treats you fine?”

Jaemin tilts his head. “Better than fine, actually.”

This time, his father looks about ready to say something, half turning so he could focus on the mixture in front of him while looking at his son. But then, footsteps sound just as Renjun rounds the corner. Hair sticking out all over the place and eyes still half open, Jaemin can’t help the snicker that leaves him.

“Good morning,” Renjun murmurs raspily. He stands beside Jaemin and presses his forehead into Jaemin’s shoulder.

“You can still sleep if you want,” Jaemin giggles, but Renjun is already shaking his head. So instead, he looks to his father and asks him for a moment before he leads Renjun to the living room and eases him onto the couch. He pulls the blanket that is folded on the couch footrest onto Renjun and turns the television on before he disappears back into the kitchen. “Is the mixture done?” he queries and when his dad nods, he ushers him out of the kitchen and takes over.

*

After some coercion on his dad’s part (and some advice for Jaemin while Renjun was getting done), he and Renjun exit the house together. They climb into his car and Jaemin drives off.

“So you really won’t tell me where we’re going?” Renjun asks after switching on the radio. The soft tunes of an acoustic song fills the air and Jaemin finds himself smiling giddily. He doesn’t want to tell Renjun in fear of getting his hopes way too high. 

“Not even a hint.” Jaemin grins. He glances over at Renjun just in time to catch the other rolling his eyes. “Trust me, it will be worth the surprise,” he practically whispers and when Renjun doesn’t respond, he silently hopes that he wasn’t heard. 

About half an hour later, they’re pulling into the drive through, and Jaemin manages to find an empty parking spot somewhere in the middle. He’s practically grinning as he climbs out and goes to the other side of the car to help Renjun out. He’s met with an odd, unsure look. Jaemin leans forward and plants a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek and he clasps his hand as he pulls away. “Come on or all the good snacks will be gone.” And damn, he hates that he cannot even so much as hide the excitement in his voice. He’s even giddier than when they started the drive.

“Alright,” is the only word Renjun has spoken since asking for some sort of idea as to where they were going and truth be told, Jaemin had been a little nervous that the other was growing annoyed. But whenever he looked over, he would catch Renjun looking out of the window which he kept rolled down halfway. When he was looking forward, Jaemin would spot a gleam in his eye as he took in the view. Where Jaemin lived, it was a little different to the town around their campus. Compared to there, his hometown could be considered ghostly. Though Jaemin had no clue what it was like where Renjun was from (and God forbid he ever asks again. Every time he did, he’d be met with such horrifying looks that he thought against asking ever again.)

There is barely a queue when they get to the other side of the parking section where a little building is. Inside the building is exactly as any movie theatre section you’d find in the movies, except there weren’t the different doors to a specific movie. Rather, to the left was the snackbar and to the right was the bathrooms. Jaemin guides Renjun to said snackbar and looks to the other. “Pick what you want.” 

Renjun looks at him, and his entire face is filled with amazement. His eyes are shining in a way that Jaemin hasn’t seen them before and the moment Renjun smiles, he realizes that perhaps he hasn’t actually seen his boyfriend smile before. As genuine as some of the others has been,  _ this _ one is the most genuine, most carefree and unjudged and utterly contagious smile he’s found himself facing that he’s smiling too, way before he even realizes it. Though he doesn’t quite say anything other than what it is he would like. Jaemin greets the movie theatre clerks and requests two large popcorns, two medium colas and a side of astros (as per Renjun’s plea; while he said he didn’t mind what they got, the moment he spotted the astros he almost clang to Jaemin’s arm.)

It’s as they’re heading back to the car that Renjun finally turns to him, fully acknowledging everything that has occurred in the span of the last hour. His eyes are calculating, but there is still that brightness to them that has Jaemin smiling again. “What’s up, love?” he murmurs softly. They’re shoulder to shoulder as they’re walking. 

“Jaemin, is this a date?” Renjun queries, and though it's a question, he can tell that the other knows the answer already. He was confirming whatever it was that was going through his head.

“I thought that since we never really got a chance for a proper date, what better time than now,” Jaemin replies softly, unlocking the car as they come up to it. Renjun climbs into the passenger seat while Jaemin puts in a couple of coins before turning on the speakers. He climbs back in and turns toward Renjun, who pulls him into a kiss. Messy and rough and more intense than any kiss prior, Jaemin pulls away for air. He never thought it would be this satisfying to see Renjun so out of breath.

“This is amazing,” he says between breaths.

“You’re just saying that,” Jaemin murmurs, but before he’s finished his sentence, Renjun is already shaking his head. 

“It’s the best date I’ve had in years.” Renjun’s voice is raw with honesty. Jaemin is smiling again.

After the movie, Renjun is still smiling. Considering that he mentioned in passing that it had been his favourite movie, he doesn’t much blame him. 

“That was amazing,” he says and somehow he’s managing to whisper despite the clear excitement within him. “I love that movie like a thousand times more.”

Jaemin chuckles and makes a stop at a little pizza place. He doesn’t have to get out, having ordered during an intermission session during the movie and instead simply calls the place to let him know he’s in the parking lot. A few seconds later, a delivery boy rushes out. He’s tall, lanky and awkward as he hands the pizza box over and the coffees follow after Jaemin has passed the box to Renjun. Jaemin thanks the guy who insists he have a good day (and he’s not just saying that. The pizza guy really seemed overly eager and emphasised his words as he wished them a good evening.) They head home, then. All the while, Renjun asks what was going on. 

When they arrive, the house is empty (his father had told him earlier the day that he was visiting a friend), so Jaemin tells Renjun to shut the door behind them and he hurries on ahead of him until he’s disappeared into his room. When Renjun walks in, Jaemin shuts the bedroom door, turns off the lights and he clicks another switch that turns on the item he’d gotten when he was thirteen and obsessed with space. It lights the room in colours of purple, blue and little dots of white, like a galaxy. He watches as Renjun takes it in, slowly setting the pizza and coffee down on the desk before turning to Jaemin who grins widely.

“Do you like it?” Jaemin asks him softly, timidly. 

Renjun is nodding as he closes the gap between them and pulls Jaemin in for a kiss much like the one they had in the car. His hands are on either side of his face and Jaemin must admit that it is definitely way longer than the last one. They pull apart and Jaemin informs him that this is not quite the end. When they’ve finished their pizza and coffee, Jaemin pulls the chair to the little door in the ceiling and Renjun watches as Jaemin disappears up. When he follows, Jaemin helps him the last few steps until they’re on the roof. 

A blanket is already set down with pillows scattered around it.

“Happy first date,” Jaemin whispers as Renjun settles down. He’s happy. Happier than he’s been in a long time. No vampires around to ruin this moment, he wraps an arm around Renjun who rests his head on Jaemin’s shoulder.

“It’s perfect,” Renjun whispers in reply. And perhaps it is, Jaemin thinks. So perfect, its almost way too good to be true.


	24. Chapter 24

The next few days are a little dull, but having Renjun there was better than what other college kids tend to do during this time, or at least so he has heard.

His dad is often out, working so it’s always just Renjun and himself. Their days consist of Jaemin showing him around while their evenings consisted of watching movies while eating take-out. Renjun insisted they should cook at least once, but Jaemin said that was for people who weren’t on break, which last he checked, they were. Though it was mostly joking on his part and Renjun seemed to pick up on that. 

This morning when he wakes up, his dad isn’t home. There’s a note taped to the fridge explaining his whereabouts, which brings relief to Jaemin. Somewhat. His dad no longer worked as a vampire hunter, so he was glad he remained safe in whatever his current job is. 

Jaemin starts on breakfast, figuring Renjun would be up any time soon and food already prepared would be better than food he would still be required to prepare. He’s halfway through when his phone goes off. He takes a single glance at the screen before swiping accept, eyes focused on the pancakes in front of him. “A little early for a phone call, don’t you think?” he says jokingly. But when Jisung doesn’t respond, Jaemin frowns. “Sung, is everything alright?”

Murmur in the background indicates speaking, and then a moment later, he’s clearing his throat. “ _ Hey, sorry. I know it is early. _ ” Jisung sounds so apologetic that Jaemin insists it is quite alright.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?” Jaemin asks out of genuine curiosity. He and Jisung have barely even messaged each other since the semester break started so completely skipping over that step and going straight to the phone call was just a tad bit worrying.

“ _ Can’t I check up on my friend? _ ” Jaemin doesn’t respond, which leads to a sigh from Jisung. “Fine,” he mutters. “I did want to check up on you, but that wasn’t why I was calling.”

“Clearly,” Jaemin bites sarcastically.

“Kun phoned me not too long ago,” Jisung explains. Which couldn’t be good news. Considering their lecturer only spoke when they were in class or in a state of emergency. That, and the fact that he had gone as far as  _ calling  _ Jisung, he couldn’t help feeling unsettled. “He called about Hendery. Apparently there was an attack at campus. A lot of the kids who were staying over break are missing right now and they have no idea what to do.”

Jaemin sucks in a breath. “He called to tell you because you run the site,” he voices aloud, which Jisung confirms with a hum. 

_ “I just thought to tell you before you got to campus to find a bunch of flyers or before you decided to check the site and see that it's been updated _ quite  _ a bit _ ,” the younger boy explains.

“Yeah, I would have killed you for not telling me.” This has Jisung snickering. “Thanks for telling me,” he adds, almost as an afterthought. “Can I trust you’ll keep me updated?”

“ _ Of course. _ ” That signals the end of their conversation, both boys exchanging goodbyes after a little catch up on their part (Jisung apparently went home alone. When Jaemin asked about Chenle, Jisung only seemed to grow quieter. So, Jaemin changed the topic of the conversation, much to the clear relief of Jisung), and Jaemin puts his phone down on the table. Flipping the pancakes, he adds it to the batch that has already finished. He should have asked how they were so sure it was Hendery, but he only thought of it now. 

“Is everything alright?” Jaemin turns around so fast, his body actually hurts a little. Scrunching his face, he grips the counter tightly to keep him from falling.

“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine,” Jaemin assures. Though his words don’t seem to reach Renjun in the way they should have as he comes to stand in front of Jaemin and eases him into standing up straight. His eyes flicker across every single part of him before he wraps his arms around Jaemin and smiles.

“You better not be lying,” Renjun whispers. He leans his head forward and for a moment, Jaemin thinks he’s going to kiss him, but then his head is beside his own and Renjun is peaking into the pan. “Looks good,” he comments. Laughing, Jaemin shoves him away.

“That counts as exploitation,” he says between chuckles, turning around to flip the pancake. “Go and sit down. Breakfast will be ready shortly.” Rather than the retreating footsteps he expects to hear, the sound of the kettle turning on sounds through the kitchen. Cupboards opening and closing until the sound of clinking cups sound, and Jaemin has to hold back a smile as he points to the drawer with the cutlery. A faint, murmured  _ thank you _ is offered as Renjun passes him. He doesn’t need to ask what it is Jaemin wants so he finishes up the coffee as Jaemin finishes the last pancakes.

“For the record, it may be considered the furthest thing from exploitation,” Renjun whispers in his ear. Jaemin flushes, accepting the two plates being offered. He gets the butter, chocolate spread, whip cream and sprinkles and the two make their way to the living room. They’re at least a seat apart as they dig into the breakfast, Jaemin settling for some cartoon with bears and a catchy as hell theme song to play in the background. He leans into Renjun when he’s finished and closes his eyes, humming along to the tune of the theme song as the next episode plays.

“What do you have planned for today?” Renjun queries in the midst of a sip. He’s looking over at him as he awaits a reply.

Jaemin hums. “Nothing special. Today’s the perfect weather for walking around aimlessly. Maybe we can do a lunch date after,” he replies. When he looks over, Renjun is smiling. “Does that sound alright?” he asks hesitantly.

“Sounds perfect.”


	25. Chapter 25

As per the plan, Jaemin and Renjun end up walking around aimlessly, going in and out of stores and roaming through some for a good full hour and they almost lose track of time, be it not for Renjun who points out that they should probably get lunch before they went back home. Though, having a better idea in mind, Jaemin firmly takes hold of the sleeve of his hoodie and tugs him a few blocks down before pulling him into the town’s one and only bookstore. He should have brought Renjun here sooner, perhaps during their date or even the days prior to today, but for whatever reason, it slipped his mind.

The little bell jingles upon their entering, and Jaemin lowers his arm. He turns to Renjun and smiles. “Ta-dah.” It comes out much softer than he expected but it doesn’t matter because it gets across to Renjun just fine and the look on his face is unbelievable. He’s smiling the very way he did the night Jaemin took him on their first date. This time, it is Renjun who holds his hand as he leads him through the isles one by one. He takes his time, looking over to Jaemin every so often as if realizing this fact, but Jaemin assures him with one look and tells him that if they don’t make it for lunch, they can head out for an early supper instead. This seems to ease Renjun’s troubled expression and he goes back to looking through the shelves. Jaemin watches in quiet amazement. He never thought he’d find someone looking so beautiful doing something so simple. Though it feels much shorter, they end up strolling through the bookstore for a good two and a half hours and it is only when Renjun glances at the time that he decides they should leave. Renjun takes only a few seconds at the counter, leaving with four books in his little packet. They walk hand in hand along the pavement again, discussing their dinner options. 

“There’s this little restaurant that has the best burgers,” Jaemin pipes up, turning fully to Renjun as he stops in his tracks.

“Then we should head there.” Renjun starts to walk but Jaemin pulls him back and for a moment, the other seems confused until he’s dragged into the little restaurant they had been standing in front of. All the seats are like booths and the waiter takes them down to a little seat near the window in the far back. 

They sit across from each other. Renjun picks up his menu first, and there’s a smile across his face. He can’t help but think that since meeting Renjun, the boy has never smiled this much before. He looked much more like a frowner, when Jaemin first met him. A frowner and some sort of bad boy what with all his smirking and eeriness.  _ Like a vampire _ , Jaemin thinks and then immediately shakes away the thought because he knows it's impossible. While first impressions are everything, had he been a vampire surely his dad would have said something by now. Regardless, seeing Renjun smile this much was somewhat a blessing.

Early dinner is amazing. They’re finished with their food and mostly sitting and laughing as one topic after another comes up. It isn’t until it starts getting darker that they decide to leave.

“My dad’s wondering if we want to do a movie and dessert,” Jaemin murmurs. Renjun nods, insisting they should try and hurry back so as not to keep Mr. Na waiting. Laughing at that, he assures his boyfriend they’ll be back in no time and after replying to his father, he’s running on ahead, pulling Renjun gently. 

It’s automatic. The route he takes is subconscious and he doesn’t even realize it until they’re halfway back. He clings onto Renjun who gives him an odd look but doesn’t question it, instead choosing to pull Jaemin closer (if that was even possible.)

“You’ve gotten quieter,” Renjun notes after a moment. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah--” He starts before his eyes flicker over to the path ahead of them and he stops walking entirely. Due to their position, this stops Renjun as well, who looks at Jaemin with deep concern. Jaemin wasn’t even looking at him, though and when Renjun took note of that, he followed his gaze to the dark figure standing ahead of them. The person wasn’t walking, just standing and by the tilt of their head, Jaemin could tell they were looking at him and Renjun.  _ No _ , he thinks,  _ everything is certainly not alright _ . He would tell Renjun this right now if he could speak, but it was as if his voice were gone, hell, he couldn’t even move. His entire body felt frozen to the spot.

“Jaemin,” Renjun murmurs, his grip tightening on him, “It’s going to be okay. Is there another way out?”

Jaemin shakes his head. There’s only the way they just came from and he didn’t know if it would be safe to go back (though considering the options, it was probably the safest route.) “We won’t be fast enough.”

“You don’t know that.” He’s whispering in his ear now. His breath is warm and tickles at Jaemin’s ear, but he tries not to focus too much on that. “On the count of three, we’re going to turn around and run, okay?” Still not able to find his voice, Jaemin nods in understanding. 

“One,” Renjun murmurs. The figure moves closer, walking in their general direction. Jaemin tenses.

“Two,” he breathes out softly. It takes everything in Jaemin’s power not to look behind him. He takes deep breaths as he tries to focus solely on Renjun. 

Jaemin is turned around and before he can even comprehend what is happening, they’re already running as Renjun yells, “Three!” 

Despite being unable to find his voice or feel his body, he seems to be running just fine, Jaemin notes. He grips tightly onto Renjun and as they run, he cannot help but feel pathetic. He’s supposed to be a hunter and every chance he managed to encounter a vampire, he was never able to attack. Hell, he barely got the chance to try. He was always running.

A hand grabs hold of his shoulder and he’s pulled back, his hand slipping from its tight grasp. Squeezing his eyes shut, he takes the deepest of breaths as he lands on the ground with a hard  _ thud _ (the pain is excruciating, but there is no time to be concerned about that) and when he opens his eyes again, he’s facing one of the palest people he’s ever seen. Dark red eyes gleam down at him with a hunger that unsettles him to no end, and sharp white fangs bare itself out at him. If he wasn’t being held down the way that he was, he’s pretty sure he would be shaking. They lean closer and a smirk draws upon its face. “It’s a little late for supper, but dessert will do just fine,” the person whispers with a voice so gravelly and honeyed that Jaemin feels even more unsettled. Jaemin shifts his gaze, taking in every bit of the person as he tries to think. Thinking, however, was not so easy when it came to time-limited situations much like this and the worry he felt for Renjun did not help. As the person leans closer, Jaemin lifts his knee straight into the person’s lower area. 

They hiss (Jaemin finds it even more astonishing as he watches a flicker of pain flash through the person’s eyes) and immediately, their grip loosens. Something hits the side of their head, and the person practically falls to the side. When Jaemin looks up, he finds Renjun standing there in all his glory, clutching a broken chair (which would not have made sense had they not currently been in an alleyway.) His eyes flicker over and their eyes meet. Renjun drops the broken chair and lowers to help Jaemin up. 

“We should hurry,” he says. “We don't know how long he’ll be out.”

They’ve already started walking when Jaemin finally manages out, “You’re sure he’s out?” Renjun doesn’t look back as he nods in response. They do their best to hurry without Jaemin’s pain increasing. Currently, Renjun was supporting his back, easing him through the town as Jaemin murmurs directions. When they’re back at the house, Jaemin goes straight to his room and buries himself under the heap of blankets, allowing his eyes to shut.

He hears the faint murmur from inside and he wonders whether Renjun is telling his dad the truth. After a moment, he hears his bedroom door close and the faint shifting as, who he assumes is Renjun, walks in. 

“Will you lay with me?” He barely recognizes his own voice, but he can tell it is his own. Renjun agrees, albeit softly, and does as asked. Rather than just laying, he pulls Jaemin closer. He barely realizes that he’s crying.

“I’ve got you, it’s okay,” Renjun whispers. “You’re safe, baby.” And fuck, Jaemin really hopes so.


	26. Chapter 26

The rest of the semester break flies by in no time. Their days after the attack mostly consisted of indoor or early adventures as to not stay out late, and sometimes, when Jaemin couldn’t sleep, he’d sit in the living room and his dad would find his way to his side and they would talk. The thing about the attack was not only did he run, but he was with Renjun when it happened.It only brought back unwanted memories of Jeno and himself. Constant nightmares met him since then; ones where instead of getting away, the vampire takes Renjun.

Renjun was driving. He insisted when it was clear Jaemin hadn’t gotten any sleep once again, but despite how long the drive was, he wasn’t feeling very tired. He kept his gaze out of the window, wanting to say something, but not quite sure what that something should be. He can feel when Renjun looks at him only to look away, and he wonders what the other is feeling. How he has been since the attack. However, not wanting to bring up that topic or so much as discuss it again, Jaemin turns to look ahead. “You and my dad seemed to get along,” he notes softly. He looks to Renjun to find him smiling sheepishly.

“I guess so,” he replies. He keeps his gaze on the road (and yeah, he feels pretty damn safe right now), but he isn’t done speaking, Jaemin realizes from the pause in his voice. Though when he doesn’t say anything, Jaemin frowns.

“What is it?”

Renjun shakes his head. “Just wondering, is your dad superstitious?”

“Superstitious?”

“Yeah, like, does he believe in all that magic stuff? Witches, vampires, werewolves?” Jaemin’s eyes flicker to the steering wheel as Renjun tightens his grip, knuckles turning white in colour. 

He doesn't respond to the question immediately, pausing to take in all of Renjun who seemed rather stiff and uneasy. “No, of course not,” he chuckles, finally deciding to speak. “He’s spoken about them over the years, but he knows none of those are real.” Another pause from Jaemin as he and Renjun lock gazes for a moment. He tilts his head. “Why? Did he say something?”

Shaking his head, Renjun says, “He just asked me whether I believed.” There’s a waver in his voice, as if he didn’t believe what he was saying, but if he was lying, Jaemin would be able to know, right?

“That’s weird,” Jaemin murmurs instead. He turns back to the window, and he shifts forward. Renjun’s head whips around to look at him. “There’s a coffee shop.” Jaemin looks at Renjun who rolls his eyes in response, but nevertheless, he pulls into the parking lot area. Jaemin grins.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re my favourite person?”

“Not enough.”

*

Haechan is already back and when Jaemin walks in, he’s pulled into one of the tightest hugs ever. Not wanting to think he didn’t like it (because he actually really did), he wraps his arms around his roommate as he returns the hug. This only makes Haechan giddier as they pull apart.

“Did you somehow get nicer over semester break?” he queries, his tone letting Jaemin know that he’s only joking.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, roomie.” He walks over to his bed and dumps his bags down before turning to Haechan again. “So I see you’ve made it back alive.”

It takes Haechan a moment to realize what he’s referring to and the moment that it clicks, his smile falters and he huffs loudly. “Just about,” he responds. “But his parents decided to come back with us so I had to bring all my stuff here,” Haechan practically groans as he slumps onto his bed.

“They came back with you guys?”

Haechan nods. “Since we’re only back at classes tomorrow and everything, his parents thought they would visit and Mark could show them his room and walk them around town,” Haechan explains. “But I’m pretty sure it's because the witch decided to see for herself if our stories add up.”

“Mark will be back in no time,” Jaemin assures him. “I mean, you managed an entire semester break with her and by the sounds of things, that has got to be some kind of talent,” he continues. The way Haechan’s face lights up at this, he knows he’s saying something right. 

“You’re probably right,” he murmurs. 

“Oh, no, I’m definitely right.” With that, he’s about to settle when Haechan clicks his fingers, earning Jaemin’s attention once again. 

“Your friend stopped by to see if you were here yet. It seemed pretty urgent,” Haechan informs. The fact that Jaemin didn’t have all that many friends here to begin with made it easy enough for him to guess who it was. 

“Urgent how?”

“Urgent like he said you need to call him when you get back. He seemed like he was about to fuse.” And the fact that Jisung seemed about to fuse meant that whatever it was, was definitely  _ not  _ good news. Jaemin thanks him and pulls out his phone. He presses it to his ear after punching in the numbers and, considering what got them to be friends in the first place, he decided to step outside. The hallways were still empty, which kind of made sense considering the time. People would probably be flooding in tonight.

“ _ Hello?” _

“Jisung.” It’s all Jaemin can think to say. The fact that the younger is answering yet not saying anything just yet made Jaemin nervous. More nervous than he was about his dad meeting his boyfriend.

“ _ Oh, hey _ .” There’s a pause. “ _ Can you meet me downstairs? _ ”

“What’s going on?” Jaemin demands, already making his way down the hallway. He’s rushing down the stairs, only passing a lift of the hand as an apology every time he bumps into someone. 

“ _ Please don’t fall down the stairs _ ,” Jisung muses. “ _ We kind of need you right now _ .”

“I won’t if you tell me what is going on,” Jaemin supplies. When Jisung sighs, he can practically imagine the boy rolling his eyes, which he cannot help but smile at.

“ _ I don’t know exactly. Kun is here. He says we need to get to the bar. Taeyong isn’t picking up and neither is Winwin so we need to go _ ,” he urges. The franticness in his voice is what has Jaemin speeding up.

“As long as I’m of use and not just a ride,” he says as he comes to a stop. Jisung and Kun turn around, both looking at him with smiles. 

“You’re never just a ride,” Jisung assures. 

Not wanting to waste another moment, the three hurry to Jaemin’s car and head off. After requesting to drive, Jaemin ends up calling shotgun which earns them a whining Jisung in the back. 

He pulls out his phone and sends Renjun a message before looking over at Kun. “Do you know what’s going on?” he queries. 

Kun gives a sideways glance, and he’s biting on his bottom lip.  _ He’s nervous _ , Jaemin realizes. Which means he doesn’t know what is going on. Nodding, Jaemin slides back into the seat and looks out of the window.

“Whatever it is, it can’t be too bad, right?” Jisung’s voice is softer than ever. Not even he seems to be believing his own words.

Jaemin nods. “Hopefully not.”


	27. Chapter 27

When they get to the bar, Doyoung is behind the bar. Kun walks ahead of them, already seated by the time Jisung and Jaemin take their seats. Doyoung greets them with a pleasant smile. “Taeyong will be right with you guys,” he informs them before walking over to a customer by one of the tables. 

“Is it weird to be nervous?” Jisung whispers. His eyes are darting all over the place while his hands grip tightly at the bar counter, knuckles turning white. 

“I don’t blame you,” Jaemin mumbles in reply. He shifts in his seat as he follows Jisung’s gaze to where Taeyong rounds the corner and makes his way behind the bar. He’s already made two drinks before he seemed to notice the three of them sitting there. He takes a deep breath before turning fully to face them. 

“Xiaojun and Winwin will be here soon,” Taeyong says. As if on cue, Xiaojun joins Taeyong behind the bar counter while Winwin takes a seat beside Kun. They’re all dressed as if they’ve just come from a funeral. It is as Yangyang hurries in and takes a seat, dressed the very same way, that Jaemin catches sight of the stake sticking out from his inside pocket. When he catches Jaemin’s gaze, he flashes a smile as he adjusts his coat before turning back to Taeyong.

“Have you started anything yet?” Yangyang asks and it's clear that the question is directed at Taeyong. The latter shakes his head in response.

“I thought that I would wait until everyone was here,” he explains, although his gaze focuses on Jaemin. “Firstly, I heard about you getting attacked, but I think we can talk about that after.” While he’s still speaking, Jaemin shoots Jisung a look. 

“So, if it’s not about Newbie being attacked  _ again _ , then what is it?” Xiaojun queries. A flare of annoyance rises in his chest, but Jaemin remains silent as he keeps his gaze steady on Taeyong. 

“Well,” Taeyong starts, taking in a deep breath before his gaze flickers to Winwin and Yangyang before he continues. “We’ve come to notice that there are attacks happening in daylight.” 

“Is that even possible?” Jaemin asks. He knows it may be a dumb question, but considering all vampires had a tendency to attack in the evening, he had to. He knew, however possible it had become, that they didn’t exactly burn in the sunlight (and no, they definitely did not sparkle, no matter what  _ Stephanie Meyer _ wrote), but even then they seemed to be content with keeping up their acts of normality and settling for evening attacks.

“Well, we never considered it impossible, but up until recently, none of them have so much as tried to attack during the day,” Taeyong supplies. 

“And now they have,” Jaemin, despite himself, states the obvious. Taeyong nods. 

“How did you find out?” Jisung queries. He’s leaning forward, wide eyes focused on Taeyong who, sighing, leans forward on both elbows. 

“We got word from the head. People have been found dead in their homes and completely drained of blood.” There’s a long moment of silence as everyone takes in the information that has just been given to them, but the moment it actually settles in, it's, by much surprise, Yangyang who makes a sound of distress. 

“Is that what I think it means?” Yangyang asks him. If Taeyong could give them the full story with little to no pauses like he was currently doing, Jaemin thinks they would already be in the phase of dealing with the matter, or rather the discussion of dealing with it.

“Whoever these vampires are, they’re being invited inside and feeding off people of the household.” He stands up straight and tilts his head, as though he’s considering something. His eyes flicker somewhere behind them. Without looking, Jaemin somehow knows that he’s looking at Doyoung. When his gaze turns back to them, his eyes are intense and he looks more than just determined. “Once the head investigates the situation a little more, we’ll be allowed to hunt out the vampires that are doing this.”

“So no plan of action as of yet?” Winwin questions.

Taeyong confirms this with a shake of his head. “Not yet. I wanted to inform you so that you were aware. So you don’t easily let down your guards during the day.” Once everyone gives their own affirmation, Taeyong turns to Jisung and Jaemin. “So tell me about this attack,” he says and though he’s looking at Jisung, Jaemin is quite aware that he’s the one being spoken to. 

“It wasn’t at campus or anything,” Jaemin says as though trying to reassure Taeyong. “It happened back home,” he informs and then goes into an explanation of what had occurred. 

“Sounds tough, Newbie,” Xiaojun snickers. Jaemin shoots a glare before turning back to Taeyong. 

“Although it doesn’t matter. It was taken care of. Our main focus has to be the current vampire attacks,” he states. “You’ll keep us updated?” Though he knows it wasn’t even a question, he wanted to make sure.

“Of course.”

Considering they just got there, Jaemin, Jisung and Kun stayed for a little while. Occasionally the topic of the daylight attacks would resurface and each time, it made Jaemin worry even more. Not so much for himself but for Haechan and Renjun, hell even Mark. The topic would be shifted to something else and for an hour and a half, they sat sort of laughing. Jaemin got the impression that Xiaojun didn’t like him much, but when put together with Yangyang, he was way more civil. 

Jaemin, Jisung and Kun got back to campus before it got quite dark. They parted ways and when Jaemin got to his room, Haechan wasn’t there. He considered waiting up for Renjun, but the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

When he woke up during the middle of the night, his brows furrowed when he noticed that Renjun wasn’t in bed. He considered sending a message, but it was far too late. Instead, he got up to lock the door and shut the window. Despite himself, he sent a message to Renjun before he went back to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

Already a week into the second semester, Jaemin was struggling. Not necessarily with the classes or the workload, but rather the fact that he hasn’t heard from his boyfriend in a week. He hasn’t seen him around and every time he messaged, it would only have a single tick. Considering he hasn’t seen him since they got back from semester break, Jaemin worried it was something that happened between Renjun and his dad. As much as he tried not to think about it, this only seemed to bring about negative thoughts: such as perhaps Renjun decided Jaemin wasn’t worth it.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mark shoots. The only reason he was speaking to Mark was because Haechan was persistent in knowing something was off and eventually, Jaemin caved. (Considering he kept checking his phone and sighed every hour on the hour, he would have been surprised if they didn’t pick up on it.) “He won’t just quit on you, especially not like this. Honestly, Renjun hasn’t been this happy since Jeno.” It’s the name that gets him. Without even realizing, Jaemin has stopped his pacing and he’s stiffened a considerable amount. 

“Have you two not had the exes conversation?” Haechan asks, seeming to have noticed the change. His tone is more fearful than Jaemin feels. 

“No,” Jaemin replies. His throat is dry and as he speaks, it feels like his throat is filled with sandpaper. “We never got to that topic,” he murmurs in reply. Sitting down on his bed, he bites his lip. Maybe it was just a coincidence, he thinks. Perhaps it wasn’t the same Jeno; it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be the same Jeno because  _ his _ Jeno is dead. 

“You look a little pale,” Haechan says. Jaemin barely notes that he’s stood up. “Let me—”

“Jaemin.” He lifts his head until he’s looking at Mark who seems to have the most intense gaze he’s ever witnessed from the guy. “He and Jeno are a thing of the past, alright? He likes you. You’re who makes him happy now. Jeno makes him miserable,” Mark says sternly. It feels like he’s sitting in a lecture.

“Did Renjun love him?” The question slips out his mouth before his head can process it properly. 

Mark's eyes seem to darken for a moment. “Yeah, he did. Until Jeno decided to end things. It was a couple of years ago in high school.” The last sentence is added as an afterthought. Jaemin only stares.  _ High school _ , he thinks. Which means it is definitely  _ not _ his Jeno. The only way his Jeno and Renjun could have dated was if it were before he and Jeno happened.

Finally clicking back into reality, Jaemin nods.

“You know,” Haechan starts with a smile. “Maybe you should go by his room if you haven’t already.”

Smiling back, Jaemin thanks him. After getting the room number from Mark, he makes his way out and down the halls. Considering the fact that he hasn’t really been around most sections of the dorm, he ends up needing to ask for directions from some people (because it was actually way easier to get lost than one would think.) 

He ends up outside the room a few moments later, and he cannot help but feel more than just a little nervous. What if Renjun wasn’t even here? What if nobody answered? Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath and lifts his hand to the door. There’s no immediate answer which leads Jaemin to thinking that maybe nobody was there. He considers leaving, but reconsiders.  _ If nobody answers on the third knock _ , he thinks to himself,  _ then I’ll go _ .

However, it’s after the second knock and as he’s readying himself for the third one that the door swings open. If hell froze over, this is how he would imagine it feeling. His entire being freezes and he swears it feels as though the blood flow has even managed to freeze for a split second. The person in front of him was someone he never expected to see walking again. Hell, the fact that Jeno, in all his alive glory, was breathing amazed him. Amazement was too simple of an emotion to explain this experience. A miracle is what it is.  _ And that means that this is Renjun’s roommate _ , the voice whispers at the back of his head.  _ Which means his Jeno and Renjun’s Jeno were the  _ same  _ Jeno.  _ As shocked and filled with unbelief as he feels, it seems to match the taller’s expression. Clearly Jeno was not expecting this encounter either, and evidently, he didn’t know how to react. Most of whatever was happening right now was them staring at each other. Jaemin wanted to react; he wanted to say something, but his body wasn’t listening. His brain felt like it was shutting itself down. 

Finally, after what felt like the longest moment of his life, Jeno nods at him. “Jaemin.”


	29. Chapter 29

After snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in, it took quite a bit of convincing before Jeno allowed Jaemin into the room. Despite being offered a seat, Jaemin remained standing. He didn’t feel all that comfortable sitting down on a bed in front of an ex he thought had been dead all this time. 

“So,” Jeno starts. 

Unlike Jaemin, he chooses to take a seat at the desk on the side of the room that was clearly his; filled with posters on the wall and all his things scattered on the bed. He looks the same as Jaemin remembers him from his dark hair to his eyes. The only difference was that he wasn’t smiling. His aura was so different to what he remembered; more stiff and guarded. Though Jaemin had difficulty seeing the Jeno he knew different to the Jeno right in front of him. Jeno turns and he smiles and Jaemin swears that his heart tightens; there’s a tight fisted feeling in his chest. The last time he saw this smiling face with his smiling eyes was  _ years _ ago. Jaemin had only recently accepted that he would never get to see this face again.

“How have you been, Jaemin?” He doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like hearing his entire name come out of Jeno’s mouth. It used to be Min or Minnie and sometimes even Jae, but it hasn’t been his whole name for years (and this is in addition to their four years of dating.) When Jaemin doesn’t reply, Jeno changes his question. “What brings you here, Jaemin?”

Mad. Mad and annoyed is what he is as he processes these questions. There’s a flare of unwanted, bubbling and angry annoyance that sweeps through Jaemin.  _ Irritated _ , Jaemin thinks.  _ You’re not annoyed or mad, you’re irritated _ , he tells himself. With Jeno keeping a steady gaze and calm exterior and him seeming to act as though this is normal, Jaemin couldn’t help but be irritated.

“Min.”

“Don’t.” His tone is thick and seething. “Don’t ‘ _ Min’ _ me, Jeno. How can you be so calm? Do  _ not _ act as if this is normal,” his voice only grows the more he speaks and though he’s pleading with himself to calm down and stay quiet, he wasn’t listening to himself. That tiny voice trying to be his reason was being ignored completely. “This isn’t normal, Jeno! Do you realize that? It’s not normal to be standing in front of my supposed-to-be-dead ex-boyfriend that is clearly the furthest damn thing from dead!” He feels warm all over and perhaps it's because of his yelling. Jeno’s eyes are wide, clearly not expecting this.

“I know,” Jeno murmurs, and he lowers his head. “I’m sorry, Jaemin.”

“Sorry isn’t just going to cut it, Jeno. I need answers,” Jaemin insists. 

“I can’t do that.”

“Considering you didn’t think to call me up after all these years and tell me that you’re alive, letting me  _ mourn _ over you, I think you at least owe it to me, Jeno.”

Jeno shakes his head. His smile has disappeared and he’s looking at the ground again. Hunched over, his hands fold together and he leans his head against his hands as he releases a sigh. “I  _ can’t _ give you answers, Jaemin.  _ Please _ can you understand that?”

Too upset and hard headed at this moment, Jaemin ignores his plea. “You got kidnapped by a vampire. Your body wasn’t left behind so it must have taken you,” he starts calmly. “ _ How _ are you alive?”

“I just am.” 

“Where have you been all this time? Because your family sure as hell think you’re dead. They hate me for whatever happened to you.” 

“Jaemin.”

“I just want answers, Jeno. I need them.” It’s Jaemin who is pleading this time. 

There’s a shift in the atmosphere. There’s one of the longest pauses that twists at Jaemin like a knife in his chest. Jeno stands up, and the smile is gone. Unrecognizably smokey black eyes stare down at him darkly, lips pulled into a thin line, it’s the first time he’s ever felt afraid of Jeno.

“I  _ told _ you, I  _ cannot _ answer any of your questions, Jaemin.” Unlike Jaemin, he manages to steady his tone. He isn’t yelling despite the fact that he really wanted to (you could see it in his eyes) and somehow, he’s keeping it low. It scares Jaemin even more. “I  _ cannot _ answer whatever questions you’re dying to ask and even if I could, I wouldn’t,” he whispers as he stands up. There’s a pause before he continues, “You don’t need to know the ‘how’ or the ‘why’ nor do you need to know the ‘where’. And frankly, if my family hates you, that’s a problem between you guys,” he practically hisses this time. “So, now that you understand that, I need you to leave.”

Jaemin doesn’t say anything. How are you expected to respond to something like that? 

“Bye, Jaemin.”

“Wait.” Jaemin has already been shifted to the door and, despite himself, was about to leave when he considered something. Turning around to face Jeno, he tries to hold a steady gaze. “If you can’t answer any of those questions, then at least answer this one: you’re not the same Jeno, are you?”

The expression Jeno holds is pained. As though he’s the one with a knife in his chest this time. He didn’t want that question to come up, of all the questions he suspected Jaemin to ask; that much is evident on his face. His answer isn’t immediate. His eyes are swirling with a mixture of colour.  _ Eye colour changes _ , a small voice says at the back of Jaemin’s head, but he ignores it. 

“I am Jeno, if that’s what you’re asking,” he replies after a moment.

But Jaemin is disappointed. “That wasn’t what I was asking,” Jaemin says. “You know that.” He takes one long look at Jeno before he leaves the room and he faintly hears the door shut behind him. He finds his way to his dorm room and, now that he knew exactly how to get there, the walk was  _ way  _ quicker. He entered his room, ready to collapse onto his bed because no matter what anyone says, seeing your dead ex-boyfriend  _ alive _ was more than just emotionally draining. He stops about halfway to his room.

If Jeno wouldn’t answer questions, maybe someone would know a thing or two. With that in mind, he turns around and makes his way downstairs to his car. 


	30. Chapter 30

When Jaemin planned to come down to the bar, he’d been hoping that Taeyong was working or even Doyoung (though he wouldn’t have been able to give much answers; it would be like running back to Jeno except warmer), but instead, as his luck would have him, he was met with a smug looking Xiaojun. Luckily for him, however, wherever there was a Xiaojun, there was a Yangyang not too far away. Yangyang was definitely the peace to Xiaojun’s ‘chaos’ (Jaemin cannot find a word to fit him at the moment, but that may just be because his head was filled with everything else that happened. Seeing Jeno definitely through him back into the pool of a mess he managed to get out of not that long ago.)

“Taeyong went out with Doyoung,” Xiaojun informs the moment Jaemin enters through the doors. “Did he not tell you?”

“Up until a few minutes ago, I didn’t know I was coming,” he replies smoothly, taking a seat beside Yangyang. “You’re saying they went on a date?”

Xiaojun seems to be preparing something warm rather than the usual cold, non-alcoholic drink (which Jaemin will admit was something he wasn’t going to order. He really wanted a beer to haze the thoughts away, but he supposed that it was for the better that he didn’t.) His gaze cuts to Jaemin before returning to the cup in front of him. “Not exactly. They were heading to the head to find out more.”

“Is Doyoung not human?”

“He is. Kwon Jiyong doesn’t care though. If it’s hunters and humans, it’s alright. He was with a human once too. He understood,” Xiaojun explains. “Usually when there’s a hunter and a human involved, the hunter has a deeper reason to fight, live and protect. So, as messed up as it is, it’s encouraged.” When he’s finished his story, he slides a cup over. “Coffee. With a bit of a punch to it.”

“Xiaojun!” It’s Yangyang who exclaims this, seeming horrified. 

“It’s not  _ much _ of a punch,” Xiaojun retorts easily. Despite his composed exterior, his voice is reassuring. “He seems like he needs it.”

“ _ He _ is right here,” Jaemin mutters. “Guess you’re not as bad as you appear,” he adds. Which is true. From what he’s seen and experienced, this coffee as ‘something he needs’ is the biggest and warmest gesture he could have imagined. It was like being on the receiving end of a hug with Xiaojun.

“That’s because I let you see what I want you to see.” His gaze shifts somewhere behind them (most likely to customers walking in) and he excuses himself.

Thus, Jaemin is left alone with Yangyang. Though he barely noticed. His head kept filling with thought after thought and question after question. He wanted to know  _ how _ . How was Jeno still alive? How was he so,  _ so _ different? Sure people are constantly changing, but this didn’t seem like the kind of change over a period of time. It felt more like a change of the person; them being someone else completely. But that’s impossible.

“Not that I agree with him giving you a punch in your coffee, but he seems to have the right idea,” Yangyang says. His voice has a lilt, Jaemin notes. A lilt that he notices usually belongs to bilingual (or multilingual) people. Jaemin doesn’t ask, though because it’s clear the other was still speaking. “You seem troubled, and the fact that you came here unannounced.”

“Doesn’t happen often?” He asks sheepishly.

“With everyone else, sure. Not you, usually, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.” A smile shapes across his face, and somehow, Jaemin feels calmer than when he walked in here. Yangyang turns until he’s entire body is facing Jaemin, which means he is most definitely going to talk again. “The only times you’ve shown up unannounced were with Jisung and when you were attacked down at the club.”

For a moment, Jaemin feels unsettled that Yangyang knows that. He wonders how it is that the other knows that, but then he reminds himself that of course, Taeyong had been expected to report the attack. That, and the fact that Xiaojun and Yangyang probably spoke about everything together. That, and he doubted there were secrets between the hunters when it came to attacks. When one person was given information, it was shared with the rest of the group. That may just have been the reason they all seemed so brotherly and close.

“You want me to tell you why I came here unannounced, don’t you?” He hopes it doesn’t come out as rhetoric as it sounded to him. Though Yangyang assures that that is not the case, Xiaojun returns.

“Actually, yes, we would.” When Jaemin looks, he’s smiling, but it is not the sort of smile that is all inviting and sweet. He’s smiling in a way that it resembles a smirk. He looks all smug, full of himself and it comes across as a know-it-all smile. Jaemin rolls his eyes.

“I needed to ask Taeyong a question,” he replies simply. The little punch that was put in the coffee had one hell of a kick. 

“But Taeyong isn’t here, so we’re the next best,” Xiaojun replies easily. “We’re hunters too, and if your question is vampire related, we might definitely have an answer for you.” 

He assesses Xiaojun for a moment, taking in his expression and considers his tone. Slowly, after much convincing on his part (mentally, of course), he nods. If Xiaojun was being genuine, he supposed he could ask. “The thing is, I don’t know what my question is exactly,” he admits as an afterthought.

“Well, do you have a situation scenario?” Yangyang queries gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. He seems to just be naturally comforting. 

“That.” Jaemin points his index finger to Yangyang (who probably looks way more stunned than he needs to.) “Is something I think I can do.” So he explains the scenario with a few extractions: “There’s this guy who got attacked. Or at least his friend thought that he did. They were walking and the vampire appeared and took the guy away. The friend thought he was dead up until recently,” Jaemin finishes off. He considered adding on after, but that was really the most simplified version he could muster up. As he locks eyes with Xiaojun, he  _ knows _ they have an answer. Both of them kept glancing at each other, sharing these knowing looks and their eyes were, to put it simply, wide and wild. 

“You know,” Jaemin states. “You know something. Tell me.”

“Well,” Xiaojun starts. He looks at Yangyang before looking back at Jaemin. “The thing is, when a vampire attacks; when they drain someone of blood, the person does not just survive. Either they die, or they turn.”

Jaemin feels his blood run cold.


	31. Chapter 31

He’s making his way up to his room and his head feels like a blur. He held a hand out against the wall as if to support him on his walk. He felt completely drained and honestly, the night could just end; he felt sick of it. Of today and all the events that seemed to transpire.

When he gets to his room, he doesn’t expect to see someone on Haechan’s bed. He shuts the door loudly (whether it was on purpose or just an accident, he couldn’t even tell) and watches Renjun flinch. He smiles apologetically, but it feels more forced than anything else. Renjun must note this because his eyebrows furrow as he stands up, a look of concern washing over his face. “Is everything alright?” he asks softly. “Jaemin?”

“You know, we never had the whole ex-boyfriend talk before,” Jaemin states. He walks past Renjun and takes a seat on his own bed. Renjun turns to face him, a glimmer of curiosity in his eye. 

“No, we didn’t,” he says, words coming out slowly, seeming unsure as to where Jaemin was going with this.

“Mark told me that you haven’t been this happy since Jeno,” he says suddenly and watches the way Renjun’s entire expression falls. 

“Mark shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, but you should have.” He pauses, looking down at the ground. “It was a little odd, because I haven’t been this happy since Jeno. I thought the same name thing was a coincidence,” Jaemin admits. He wants to know how Renjun looks right now, but he doesn’t want to look up. He doesn’t have the heart to look up. Not right now. “And I was worried about you because it’s been a week since I’ve heard from you so I decided to stop by your room.”

He hears the intake of breath from Renjun. “You did,” he queries though it comes out as more of a statement or a search for confirmation. 

Jaemin nods. “Do you know who answered the door?”

“He answered the door,” Renjun murmurs in repetition.

“My supposed-to-be-dead ex-boyfriend,” Jaemin states. He’s furious and annoyed and no longer watching his words. “And as it so happens,  _ your _ ex-boyfriend and roommate,” he adds on. “That’s who answers the door,” he practically spits out as he looks up at Renjun. What Jaemin didn’t expect was the blank stare from Renjun. He expected some sort of emotion, but no matter how hard he tried to search the other’s face, there wasn’t a sign of any.

“Supposed to be dead?” Renjun asks. He walks over to the otherside of the room and takes a seat on the bed, looking across at Jaemin. He sat so straight and he held his head high, Jaemin was a little surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, one day I was walking with Jeno and he got snatched and up until he answered your room door, I thought he was dead,” Jaemin states honestly. His grip starts to tighten, but he tries to take slow breaths. (Renjun didn’t need to know how this situation was making him feel.) Renjun isn’t saying anything, and Jaemin wants to yell. He wants to get up and walk over there and shake Renjun until he’s spilling out words, but he knew better. Forcing Renjun to speak would get them nowhere. 

“Well, he’s not dead.”

“Not exactly,” Jaemin mutters under his breath. He wasn’t dead the way Jaemin originally thought he was, but technically he was dead. Undead.

Renjun’s gaze flickers from his hands to meet Jaemin’s eyes. His gaze is steady and his eyes are a smokey dark just as Jeno’s had been.  _ Exactly as Jeno’s had been _ , he thinks. It’s not the usual soft brown that they had been.

“You mean that you know,” Renjun says firmly.

Jaemin frowns. “Know what?”

“You know about Jeno,” he states in a matter-of-factly-tone. “It’s written behind your words.” Of course, Jaemin thinks. As a major reader, he would be able to read through whatever it was Jaemin said. 

“What do I know about Jeno?” Jaemin asks, and then, as if a light bulb flickers on above his head, he narrows his eyes. “What do  _ you _ know about Jeno?”

A pause hangs in the air. Jaemin can tell this won’t be their usual evening get together or a happy little reunion. Renjun isn’t looking at him and fuck because Jaemin just needs him to look at him again. He needs to look into his eyes and actually see Renjun, but for the entire pause, he doesn’t look up. Not even as he replies, “I know what he is.”

“What do you mean?” Jaemin frowns. His heart beat increases and he can feel his blood pumping through his veins. His entire body is stiff as he watches Renjun. He’s scared. Scared that maybe Renjun  _ does _ know which means he’ll be in danger. Knowing vampires are never a good thing.

“I mean I know he’s not human,” Renjun states simply.

Jaemin shakes his head, refusing to believe this. He’s shaking now. “I thought you said you don’t believe in this kind of thing,” Jaemin retorts. He wants him to lie; he wants Renjun saying that he  _ doesn’t  _ believe in these things.

“I never said I don’t believe,” Renjun informs him. “And it’s not like I always believed in these sorts of things. Not until I had no choice other than to believe” he adds as an afterthought. 

“What do you—” As he processes what has been said, he doesn’t know when or how, but he’s standing and shaking his head. “No.”

“Jaemin—”

“No. You’re lying. You have to be lying.” The desperation echoes through his voice and it feels like he’s trying to convince himself more than he is Renjun. Renjun looks confused, and Jaemin is close to an actual breakdown as he murmurs, “You’re a vampire?”

Slowly and reluctantly, Renjun nods. “I’m a vampire.”

“No!” Jaemin practically yells. He’s shaking more than before and he has to clench his hands to keep from doing anything stupid. He wants to hit himself. “Why? Why are you telling me this? Why  _ now _ ?”

Renjun sits still. They lock eyes, and he sighs. “Because I thought you knew,” he mutters. “I thought you put the pieces together, but clearly not.” 

Jaemin steps back and Renjun stands. “Don’t,” Jaemin says sternly, eyes narrowed. “Don’t step near me.”

“Jaemin, please,” Renjun pleads. “Let’s just talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you, Renjun.”

Renjun’s face pulls and there’s a flash of pain in his eyes, but Jaemin chooses to ignore it. He steps closer and Jaemin immediately steps back.

“Jaemin, I’m still the same person I was before you knew,” he tries to assure. “I’m still your boyfriend.” 

Hand already on the door, he takes one look at Renjun and shakes his head before turning away. “You are  _ not _ my boyfriend, and you are  _ not _ a person,” Jaemin’s tone is hard and clipped. “You’re a monster.”

He doesn’t spare a glance as he leaves.


	32. Chapter 32

He’s back at the bar in the span of a not even an hour. When Xiaojun and Yangyang spot him, they share a look, but neither of them say a word as he takes a seat. He takes the glass offered to him, and it takes everything in him to keep it steady. 

“So,” Xiaojun says abruptly, earning a hit against his shoulder from Yangyang. A muttered  _ ‘ow _ ’ is heard from Xiaojun but otherwise, any sort of conversation that may have started comes to an end right then and there. 

Jaemin sighs, shaking his head. “It’s okay,” he assures, because it is. He really could use all the talking and distraction from whatever the hell just happened back in the room. Hell, he could even use all the snarky, unwanted unacceptance from Xiaojun. If it distracts him, he’d gladly accept it.

“You don’t have to say that,” Yangyang shoots back, seeming to see right through him (but with how Jaemin was feeling, he figured a blind man would be able to see right through him.)

“It really is okay,” Jaemin says again. This time he looks at Yangyang. “I didn’t come in here to spoil the mood or end any conversations,” he explains, looking back at the glass in his hand. “What is this?” he murmurs in question. 

“It’s cooldrink,” Xiaojun states. “I don’t plan on giving you an extra kick again no matter how much you feel you need it,” he adds with a pointed stare and that speaks for itself; he’s serious.

Though, that wasn’t what Jaemin had in mind. He gently places the glass down before meeting Xiaojun’s gaze and after a few moments of silent blinking, he manages to get the question through his mouth. “Do you think I could get coffee?”

“Coffee?” Xiaojun echoes, almost disbelievingly. His eyebrows disappear behind the hair in his face and his lips actually pull into a sort of ‘o’ shape. He doesn’t know why, but Jaemin finds it amusing.

“Why do you seem so surprised?” Jaemin finally asks, glancing back at his cup. He doesn’t feel up to holding eye contact for longer than he needs to. 

“Because you came here, looking like shit may I add, looking for advice. You leave looking like someone killed your puppy and not even an hour later, you’re back looking shittier than before,” Xiaojun states veraciously. “And one would expect you to order a beer or a brandy. Hell, I half thought you were going to ask for tequila.” 

“Way to soften the blow, love,” Yangyang mutters, shooting a glare at Xiaojun who pouts. (He  _ pouts _ and if he were in a better mood, Jaemin swears he would take a picture of this as a momento.) As if feeling Jaemin’s stare, Xiaojun looks over and immediately composes himself. 

“So, yeah,” Xiaojun says after clearing his throat. “Do you want to tell us what happened?”

“Xiaojun,” Yangyang says. “Be a little more sensitive.”

“You did not marry me for my sensitivity and we both know that,” Xiaojun points out. Jaemin can’t help the surprise that pushes through at the statement.

“You’re married?”

Yangyang nods in confirmation, as if knowing Jaemin wouldn’t trust Xiaojun’s word on it. “For a year now,” he replies.

“Aren’t you guys my age?” He cannot help the tone of accusation that seeps through his voice and he really hopes they don’t take offense because it was the last thing he wanted.

“Yeah, but we’ve been together since middle school,” Yangyang says with a smile. “But when you’re a vampire hunter, the trouble of having time for romance let alone knowing how long you have is very limited and so, if you find it, you find it.” He’s smiling again and Jaemin thinks it's the most he’s ever seen Yangyang smile. As he processes the words, he feels his chest tighten and though he somehow feels happy for the two, he can’t help but feel down. He looks at the cup of coffee placed in front of him and thumbs the handle.

“So,” Xiaojun says again, this time more gently. “What happened, Jaemin?” It’s the first time he isn’t being called Newbie and this is why he looks up.

After careful mental debate, he decides that nothing could go wrong in telling them. “My story earlier was referencing myself and my ex-boyfriend. I just found out he wasn’t dead and you guys confirmed that he’s turned.” He pauses, taking in a deep breath before he continues. “And then I went back to my room. I was going to crash, but my boyfriend was there and we had the whole conversation and I basically found out that he’s a vampire.” With each word, his voice only got softer while his chest only tightened.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and he doesn’t have to look up to know that it’s Yangyang.

“That sounds rough kid.” 

Jaemin turns his head in time to catch Taeyong walking in alongside Doyoung. They make their way behind the bar counter and Xiaojun trades his waist apron with Doyoung. Taeyong catches Jaemin’s gaze and offers a small smile though it comes out more sympathetic than anything else.

“You’re back,” Jaemin notes. He doesn’t care that he’s stating the obvious and, to his luck, neither does Taeyong.

“Our trip wasn’t too long,” Taeyong replies. He starts making drinks in two glasses before handing them to Xiaojun and Yangyang. He looks back at Jaemin and smiles. “So, after all that happened, you decided to come here?” he queries. 

“You heard everything?”

“Yes and my apologies. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything,” he explains. “We came back a little bit ago and Doyoung and I got caught up talking with an old friend that stopped by. We were close enough to hear.”

Understanding, Jaemin nods. “I didn’t know where else to go.” He sighs and leans his chin on his arms. “I don’t know where to go,” he murmurs in annoyance. “The only people I know live at campus or are you guys.”

“I’m sure you can figure something out,” Taeyong assures. 

“I hope so,” he murmurs. He really does. There was no way he was going back to the dorms; at least not today. Everyone goes quiet, the only sounds heard are the soft murmur of the people behind them. Jaemin looks at them, wondering whether they were like them, or whether they were born lucky and were norms. Maybe that would make his life easier; hell, he knows his life would be easier if he didn’t know about vampires or hunters or the likes. 

But then he wouldn’t know some of the people that he did.

“What if you stayed with us?” It’s sudden and out of the blue. Jaemin nearly jumps out of his seat. Turning around, he locks eyes with Doyoung who looks at him in a way that Jaemin knows it was him who spoke.

“Stayed with you guys? You and Taeyong?” He queries disbelievingly.

“We have a few extra rooms upstairs and I’m almost pretty sure you don’t want to go back,” Doyoung states and then he’s smiling. “Taeyong and I wouldn’t mind.”

He looks to Taeyong for confirmation (he’s looking at Doyoung in a beautiful, adoring way; he’s not mad. He seems almost happy that Doyoung suggested it) and when he nods, Jaemin smiles for the first time that night. 

“If you’re both sure, then yeah,” he says softly. “Okay.”


	33. Chapter 33

After being offered the room to stay for as long as he wished, Jaemin felt obligated to repay in some way and that is how he found himself working alongside Taeyong behind the counter. He had to admit that it was a little weird, seeing people from a different perspective. Contrary to his beliefs regarding bars, a lot of the people he found himself serving were much nicer than expected.

He hasn’t returned to his room since the confrontation with Renjun; the only time he did was to fetch some of his clothes. The only other time he set foot on campus was to attend his classes. He spoke to Jisung, kept in touch with Haechan but never once did he go into the countless texts Renjun left him. Whenever he thought about it, his chest hurt and he wanted to smack himself.

It’s midday and Jaemin just took on his shift when Jisung walks in, grinning at him like he just received the biggest reward in history. He takes a seat, and it’s the first time Jaemin manages to actually take in all of Jisung since the last time they were face to face which was definitely the last bar meeting. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Bartender,” Jisung says and his grin only seems to widen, which Jaemin didn’t think was possible.

“What will it be?” Jaemin queries, unaffected by the choice of nickname. At this point, he expected teasing from Jisung every once in a while. 

“The usual,” he replies easily. Leaning forward, Jisung’s eyes narrow as his grin disappears. Despite being aware of the fact that he was being analyzed, he proceeds in pouring the drink. He places the glass in front of Jisung and leans forward on his elbow, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

“Say what you want to say, Jisung.” Jaemin smiles. He’s been expecting this encounter for a while and though they spoke over the phone, Jaemin managed to easily dodge whatever conversation they were about to have; the chances that Renjun being a vampire remained a secret between him, Xiaojun and the others were far too small to be contenders.

“You knew I was going to say something?” Jisung queries with a whine in his voice. He looks disappointed at being called out.

“You’re making the face.”

“What face? I have a face?”

“Your expressions differ. So, yes, you have a face,” Jaemin replies smoothly enough. He tilts his head to the side. “So what is it you want to say?”

There’s a blur of silence between the two and only when Jisung moves back into his seat does the silence shatter. “I ran into Renjun the other day,” he starts. “He was looking for you,” he continues softly. Rather than maintaining eye contact, Jaemin can barely look at him. He wished it didn’t have to come to Renjun being spoken about. In truth, he wanted to avoid the topic for as long as possible. If this were as long as it could have been, he feels disappointed in whatever expectations he had set. 

“Oh, okay,” is all Jaemin says. It’s all he can manage. He tries picturing the two together, but it’s not as easy as he thought. It felt like the clashing of two worlds, except that, in this case, one world was no longer one of his worlds. Renjun wasn’t part of his world anymore.

Jisung narrows his eyes. “A source revealed that you found out he’s a vampire. Is that true?” Jaemin knows he knows the answer, but rather than accepting any information he’s received, he needs to hear it from the original source and despite his annoyance at the prying, Jaemin is a little grateful. You couldn’t even find reporters like this these days.

“It is,” he replies albeit reluctantly. He fists his hands, nails prying into his hand just hard enough to form dents. 

“Jaemin, why did you and Renjun break up?” His question is so direct and completely unexpected to what he was preparing himself for that Jaemin completely freezes; his entire body tenses and it’s difficult to hide the surprise.  _ It’s a dumb question _ , Jaemin thinks.  _ Renjun is a vampire _ .  _ We had to break up _ .

“He’s a vampire.”

“He also saved your ass from vampire attacks countless times,” Jisung retorts immediately. He looks pissed off, as if he’s the one who has been dumped and not Renjun. Still, Jaemin was not budging with his opinion.

“That doesn’t change what he is, Jisung.”

“Well it should,” he seethes in response. “How many times do you need to be told that there are not  _ only _ bad vampires out there?”

“He’s right you know.” It’s Taeyong who joins his side, tying the apron around his waist while looking at Jaemin with a small and certain smile. He wasn’t offering advice but rather just stating his opinion; that was something he did often, Jaemin picked up the longer he spent time with him. 

Before Jaemin can so much as comment, their conversation comes to a crashing halt as Kun walks in, eyebrows furrowed and looking more serious than Jaemin ever imagined seeing him. He walks in with a purpose. Jaemin stands up straight while Jisung turns around in his seat, all eyes now on Kun who stops only a few feet away from Jisung.

“They’re picking a fight,” he states. He sits down in one of the chairs next to Jisung and orders a coffee. While Taeyong takes on the order, Jaemin can’t help but note the way Kun’s hands are shaking. Though he’s clearly trying to steady them, he’s struggling to do so. Taeyong places the coffee in front of Kun and nudges his head in his direction.

“Who is picking a fight, Kun?” Though just as serious as Kun, his tone is soft and gentle.

“The vampires,” he says. “I spoke to Lucas. He came to my place last night and he was drunk and a mess.” Jaemin perks up a little. He never realized that vampires could get drunk. Or that they drank anything other than blood for that matter. He catches the look that Taeyong gives him (‘now is not the time’) and quickly turns his attention back to Kun.

“Alright, but what does that have to do with the vampires picking a fight?”

“I know their plan, “ Kun sighs. He looks completely worn. “Lucas spilled it all.” When he catches their stares, he rolls his eyes and mutters something about them not caring about whether Lucas was okay or not. He sips his coffee and nods at nobody in particular. “They’re looking at turning the town into a vampire town. Or at least, semi-vampire town. Where the half that are humans will be their meals,” he explains, answering the unasked question that lingered in the air. “That’s why they’re starting with the homes.”

“They can’t do that!” Jaemin exclaims and, as if it only registered then, he asks, “Can they?”

Taeyong nods. “They can and they will.”

“So we need to act,” Jaemin insists.

“I’m not done, unfortunately,” Kun says and though he’s smiling, even Jaemin can tell that it pains him.

“What more could there possibly be?” Jisung asks, speaking for the first time since Kun came in. He looks more concerned than Taeyong.

Clearing his throat, he looks up and somehow, the atmosphere has thickened in seriousness. “They’re going to come for the bar,” he says. “Take it from us and make it theirs.”

The silence is remarkably deafening.


	34. Chapter 34

“Why did Lucas tell you all of this?” Xiaojun queries, leaning against the counter between Yangyang and Kun’s seats. After Kun gave them the news, Taeyong disappeared in the back and an hour later, Xiaojun, Yangyang and another male (who Jaemin had never seen before) walked in, though Taeyong hadn’t returned. A moment after they seated themselves, or well, in which Yangyang and the other guy seated themselves, he was introduced to Winwin (who, apparently preferred that to his actual name. Jaemin found out that the same went for Yangyang as well as a few other hunters and it went against their pride to give off their names so easily.) Unlike Xiaojun, Winwin was completely quiet during discussions and group conversations, Jaemin noted. Dark hair gelled out of his face showed off the full lips and dark, shaped eyebrows and his face was shaped by a jawline that looked as if it could cut butter. He was pretty, Jaemin had to admit. And by the sounds of things, in the same sort of relationship as Kun; with a vampire. It irritated Jaemin, how they could easily just be with vampires when they were in actual fact the enemy and the ones that were being hunted.

“He was drunk,” Kun reminds Xiaojun, his voice pulling Jaemin out of whatever thought process his mind decided to take him on. When he looks over at Kun, he notices the grim expression taking over his entire face. Compared to when he walked in, he seemed to be in a worse state. Kun sighs. “He came over and there was a lot of rambling about how he was being forced to do all of this,” he explains.

Unable to help himself, Jaemin queries, “All of what?”

It earns him a pointed glare from Xiaojun which he chooses to ignore. Especially as Kun looks ready to tell him. “The recent attacks on his part as well as the plan that is being put into motion.”

“How can he not want to do it?”

“Jaemin!” Jisung hisses. “Now isn’t the time.”

Rolling his eyes, he looks back at Kun as his brows furrow. “Really. He’s a vampire is he not? Why would he need to be forced to do all of that stuff if it’s in his nature?” While he could feel the glares directed at him, the fact that Kun wasn’t was what kept him from feeling even remotely guilty for asking. 

When Kun looked at him, Jaemin straightened. “As much as you would like to think that vampires are only vampires, not all of them are bad,” Kun states. “Lucas is a good kid. He doesn’t  _ like  _ hurting people,” he assures. He’s leaned forward, hands folded against the counter and his head lowered. Though Jaemin wanted to ask more; wanting to know why Kun believed him, he chose not to. Instead, he turned in his seat and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips. He chooses not to make eye contact with Jisung who he could feel looking his way.

“Well, we should be thankful that Lucas told us.” This time, none of them look up as Taeyong makes his way behind the counter. “Or, well, that he told Kun.” 

“He said I could tell you,” Kun informs.

“As if you wouldn’t have told us if he didn’t,” Taeyong replies instantly. He looks at Kun and offers a smile, though it isn’t all that genuine. It’s odd not seeing Taeyong with a genuine smile. “We would have eventually found out from Winwin seeing as Yuta wouldn’t give a shit whether he told us or not.”

“He hasn’t told me anything yet,” Winwin pipes up. Taeyong nods like he knows this. He straightens again and he’s got his hands on his hips.

“We would have found out later. Perhaps even far too late for us to do anything, but we didn’t. We’ve found out sooner,” he states as though none of them knew this. His expression changes. His eyes shine with such mischievousness, Jaemin can’t help but think how much he resembles a child in that moment. A child with some sort of evil plan. Though when he doesn’t say anything for a good few moments, Doyoung, who had walked in with him and taken a seat beside the group, stands and nudges his shoulder with one of his hands, his other hand supporting his weight holding him up on the counter. Taeyong snaps out of it and the look is gone; he’s back to grinning. “We can formulate a plan. Get to them before they get to us.”

Xiaojun makes a disgruntled noise. His eyes scan the lot of them, like he knows they’re all thinking the same thing, and with a shake of his head, he says, “I don’t think you can. We first need to go to the head. They’re going to need to know about this.” 

“Where do you think I went?” Taeyong queries, as though there’s some sort of punchline that failed to reach the rest of them. “I spoke to the head and he permitted that we be the ones to put a plan in place. We’re the ones who protect this area and stop any killings that happen here so the responsibility is in our hands,” he explains. 

With nothing to say to that, Xiaojun switches places with Yangyang after a lot of silent convincing on the latter’s part. Yangyang, now standing, leans onto the counter, eyes falling onto Taeyong. “So then what is the plan?” he asks. His tone is soft and it’s clear how unsure he is of what their options could possibly be. 

“Well, first,” Taeyong starts and he’s grinning again as he continues, “We need to get into contact with  _ their _ head.”

Jaemin frowns. His mind comes back blank as he tries to recall any of them mentioning the vampires having a head. Sure it seemed odd that they would all think of the same plan on their own and put it into place and it definitely made no sense that they would operate without a leader; it would cause a chaos that could reveal them for what they really were and that would definitely be a major problem.

“Do we know who their head is?” Jaemin asks despite himself. 

He and Taeyong share a look and it suddenly clicks. The previous attacks, Lucas and the attack at the club. It had to be someone with superiority; it’s just the way vampires worked, he figured. Someone around for the longest, and there was only one with that sort of position as far as the hunters knew.

“Hendery.”


	35. Chapter 35

After a few messages from Haechan, Jaemin decides that he should head back to campus. He assures Doyoung that he’ll be back before it gets too dark out, and he drives back with Jisung who stayed the night before in one of the other spare bedrooms (there were  _ a lot _ , Jaemin noted when Doyoung finally gave him a proper tour Taeyong had clearly been avoiding.) Their drive somehow seemed shorter now that they had something to discuss. While he hated to admit it, the fact that Kun was one of his professors pulled up a barrier between them; one in which Jaemin didn’t know what he could and couldn’t talk about. He rarely brought up hunters either. Jisung, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have that problem and could talk about anything. So, the fact that there was a plan in place had them discussing the possible outcomes. 

Considering they only really needed to focus on phase one of the plan, which was most likely the easiest part of them all, was comforting. They only needed to get in touch with Hendery and get him to agree to meeting up with one of them. Something Winwin had come up with, deciding that they should refrain from allowing him to feel even remotely ganged up on. 

The discussion and possibilities took them all the way back to campus to which the three went their separate ways after greeting. Jisung gave Jaemin a look before disappearing on ahead, and he had no idea how to feel about that. He opts to brush it aside as he makes his way up the stairs to his dorm room. Glad he didn’t have any classes for the day (the only one in which he did had been cancelled), he hopes Haechan is in the room. Or at least that he wouldn’t be facing Renjun if he got there. 

However, as life would have it, he wasn’t all too lucky.

When he opens the door, there’s a brief moment where he’s able to take in the room before a set of arms are wrapping around him tightly and the familiar whine of Haechan reaches his ears. Already knowing it wouldn’t do much good to try and pry his roommate off, Jaemin lifts his arms to return the embrace which only has Haechan whining even louder.

“You scared the hell out of me, Min!” 

Whether it was being called that again since the last time Renjun did, or the fact that Haechan rarely ever called him that (he thinks it may just be the first time, but he could very well be wrong), he finds himself tensing in Haechan’s hold. However, he allows himself to ease into it. He doesn’t get why Haechan is tightening his grip until he’s zoning back in and he hears himself apologizing. As they pull apart, he catches Haechan’s gaze and immediately wishes he hadn’t just gone off the grid like that. He wishes he had just accepted the calls rather than just message Haechan and offer various excuses as to why he wouldn’t let him call. As long as he has known him, he never imagined a situation where Haechan was  _ actually  _ glaring. Unlike any time where he seemed upset, Jaemin realised, was definitely not him upset. His dark eyes are flaring as they narrow in on him and his eyebrows pull in a way that tells Jaemin he definitely isn’t pleased despite the hug they just shared. He’s mad, and Jaemin doesn’t blame him.

“Do you know how worried I’ve been?” he queries in a tone that is anything  _ but  _ inviting. He feels like he’s in a whole and Haechan is throwing the sand back in.

“I’m sorry, Haechan.”

“Sorry doesn’t just fix this.” His expression has softened. “You won’t let me call and Renjun has no idea where you are because you’re not speaking to him. I’ve been coming by earlier and leaving later just in case you showed, you know,” he points out accusingly. As if he didn’t feel guilty enough. Jaemin doesn’t know what else he could do other than apologise, so he keeps his mouth shut as he follows Haechan into their room.

An odd buzz flutters through his body. His heart clenches. The room is empty, and for whatever reason, that leaves him unsettled. He should be  _ happy _ that Renjun isn’t here.  _ It’s because Mark isn’t here _ , he thinks.  _ Meaning that Haechan was still hoping he would show up _ . With that thought in his mind, he keeps to it. That can be the only reason he felt so uneasy with the room so empty.

He catches Haechan’s eye and takes a seat on the bed.

“I know you said it doesn’t fix this,” Jaemin starts, shifting forward. “But I am sorry for not communicating with you.”

Haechan looks at him for a moment. His teeth pull at his bottom lip and when it releases, he sighs. “I just want to know why, Jaemin.” He lifts his head and he looks so tired, Jaemin wants to apologize again. “Why don’t you come to the room? Why aren’t you and Renjun talking?” There are so many unasked questions in his eyes, Jaemin notes, but these are probably the ones he wanted the answers to the most.

“It’s complicated,” Jaemin says. He leans his head back as he takes in a deep breath, and he straightens as he faces Haechan again. “That’s why I’m here.”

“To tell me what happened?”

“To come and talk to you,” he corrects. “I wanted to apologise, and to let you know that I won’t be back in the room for a bit.”

Haechan, seemingly displeased, frowns at this. “Are you and Renjun broken up?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Haechan.”

Haechan groans. “Fine, sorry. I thought you’d give in,” he mumbles. His eyes flicker between the floor and Jaemin and, after a few moments accompanying the silence, they land on Jaemin. “Are you in trouble?”

“What?” the disbelief in his voice sounds exaggerated and he looks at Haechan like he can’t believe it’s an actual question. Haechan seems to read his mind.

“I’m just making sure.”

“No, Haechan, I’m not in trouble,” he assures.

There’s a long moment before Haechan looks ready to speak again, but before he can, the door swings open. Haechan sucks in a breath and Jaemin doesn’t have to look up to know who it is. Rather, he looks at Haechan and offers a smile before taking his leave, gaze glued to the floor until he’s sure he’s passed Renjun and is far enough down the hallway that he may not be followed.

Then he hears his name.

Turning to look, Haechan is standing outside the room with Renjun right behind him. He thinks he’s going to be stopped, for a moment. Or Haechan might convince him to wait and talk it out with Renjun. Instead, he’s met with a wave and a look of frustration from Haechan.

“Just be safe!” he yells. Passerbys look at him, but he doesn’t seem to care.

Neither does Jaemin, who smiles. 

“I will.”


	36. Chapter 36

“So we haven’t heard from the vampire king yet?” Jaemin questions. He’s adapted to calling Hendery that in order to separate him from the other vampires. It was more of a labelling of class than anything else.

It’s still early hours of the morning. The bar, despite being open, is completely empty. The only ones occupying the bar seats are Winwin, Yangyang and Taeyong (who, after much pleading on Doyoung’s side, is taking a day of leave. The only reason he is still here is because he lives right upstairs, and because there wasn’t anywhere he needed to go or need to be.) Doyoung was still upstairs, fast asleep (Jaemin was going to wake him and received a glare from Taeyong that made him second guess his decision) and so, it was only him and Xiaojun manning the counters. The tables across the room are ghosted. 

“Actually,” Taeyong stars, already grinning. “He contacted me just this morning.”

Sometimes Jaemin thinks it's just a little weird that he’s always grinning in situations like this. Then he tries to tell himself that maybe it gives off a sense of purpose and he no longer finds it weird. Nevertheless, there isn’t much time to dwell on that when the words finally register and he looks over at Taeyong, eyes wide. “You’re joking.”

“What did he say?” Winwin queries. His head is tilted so he can look over at Taeyong from where he is seated.

“He’s going to meet with us,” Taeyong replies smoothly. “We can call the shots and he’ll show up.” 

Jaemin felt a sharp tingle through his body. The thought that their plan would work felt way too unreal. He couldn’t possibly imagine it. Though here it was, the first gear to their plan clicked itself into place.

With that piece of information, their conversation takes a turn. The air seems lighter, as though they’ve all been tensed that Hendery would say no; that the plan wouldn’t even have a chance of showing itself. Now, as Jaemin stood behind the counter, he watched as the others laughed among themselves.

“It’s pretty rare.” Jaemin looks over at Xiaojun whose eyes were set on Yangyang. Unlike the usual glare, his expression was soft and gentle. “Seeing them laugh like this.” Although he says  _ them _ , Jaemin feels like he’s speaking solely about Yangyang.

“That’s what makes it more special though,” Jaemin finds himself saying before he realizes it. He’s looking at all of them, but somehow, his mind is trailing back to Renjun. He wishes it wouldn’t.

Doyoung is making his way over when the door to the bar slams open. A tall, lanky guy and behind him is a smaller, right-out-of-a-magazine looking guy. Both seem oddly familiar, but Jaemin cannot put a finger on it.

“You can’t do whatever it is you’re planning,” Tall lanky dude says, stopping right behind the row of seats by the bar. If Jaemin was being honest, he also looked like a right-out-of-a-magazine guy. He’s got a fairly round face with a sharp jawline if you look closely enough, and he has this parting in his hair though it’s natural unlike others he’s seen before. 

“Who are you?” Taeyong deadpans, standing up from the seat and looking right at them. He takes place in front of the others as though attempting to be a shield. 

Tall lanky guy’s eyes widen and then this smile forms and he looks goofier than before. All the seriousness washes away for a single moment. “I’m Johnny. This is Ten.” He gestures to the guy beside him. 

“Alright Johnny. Ten. So, what brings you here?” He crosses his arms. 

Before they can say anything, Jaemin clicks his fingers which only has them all looking his way. “Just realized where I knew them from,” he murmurs mostly to himself, though it seems that everyone hears him given their surprised faces.

“You know them?” Taeyong asks, seemingly quite surprised.

“You recognize us?” Johnny queries, sounding just as surprised.

In response, he nods. “I saw you guys when Hendery attacked that evening.” His eyes narrow. “Why are you guys here?”

The moment Johnny frowns, the goofy aura that radiated around him only moments before is gone instantaneously. There’s a glint in his eye as he looks at the lot of them. Jaemin can tell, even from where he is, that he’s gritting his teeth. “Whatever you’re planning, we’re not going to let you do it,” he states firmly. 

It’s Ten who steps forward though, eyes glaring and hands curling into fists. “We won’t let you kill them,” he says. His tone is smooth and milky despite his evident frustration. “I  _ will not _ let you kill Hendery,” he adds on and this time, the anger seeps through his voice. It’s loud and messy and Jaemin doesn’t understand. He wants to, but he just cannot understand  _ why _ they were defending these people;  _ vampires _ who felt nothing, being defended by, norms, as they appeared to be. 

Hell, he could barely understand hunters and vampires. He tries giving Winwin and Kun the benefit of the doubt. Often he tries to explain it to himself in a way that makes sense and a way he could understand, but there was  _ nothing _ he could possibly understand about this situation.

“You two aren’t vampires,” Taeyong points out simply. 

“They’re sure as hell not hunters either,” Xiaojun adds.

“Did you hear a word we just said?” Ten demands. His knuckles tighten and Jaemin can see the way they’re turning white with little blood flow reaching his hands. He doesn’t say anything.

“We heard you,” Taeyong replies. He crosses his arms and leans against the counter of the bar, standing between two of the others. “But I cannot promise anything. We never said we were killing anyone, although we won’t tell you our plan.”

“You need to promise us you won’t kill them!” Johnny exclaims in utter desperation. His voice resounds with the plea that shines in his eyes. His eyes land on Johnny’s hands and they’re  _ trembling _ . The desperation makes him want to understand even more. 

But he won’t. He doubts he possibly could.

“We can’t make any promises,” Taeyong states. He’s completely unfazed by their shaking exterior and Jaemin finds it remarkable. 

“Why are you trying to save them?” Jaemin queries aloud, looking at the two in a way as though they were rubix cubes. 

“We love them,” Johnny replies. It’s the 'them' part that catches his attention. Meaning there were more of them with Hendery. He worries that maybe that is why Hendery agreed to meet them. He had numbers. “And they love us.”

Jaemin laughs. It’s bittersweet and one hundred per cent mocking. “They’re vampires,” he states. “Vampires are liars. They’re monsters. They don’t feel.”

There’s a moment of silence. Unease in the atmosphere as everyone stares at someone. Their group splits stares; half of them looking at Ten while the other half stare at Johnny. Ten’s brows furrow. “Renjun loves you.”

Jaemin’s heart squeezes. There’s a pain that shocks its way through his chest and it takes everything in him not to react. His hands grip at the counter tightly, knuckles whitening. “Vampires don’t love. And love doesn’t lie.” There’s a quiver in his voice. He wants it to go away. He pauses. “You know him?”

“We know them,” Johnny explains. “The ones aligned with Hendery. They were all once saved by Hendery.”

Taeyong hums, eyes set on Jaemin for a moment before he looks back over at Johnny and Ten. He smiles and clicks his fingers. “Fine,” he says. “We won’t kill them.”

There’s a moment of uproar from their side. Doyoung, however, jumps in. “You won’t?”

Taeyong shakes his head. “No,” he assures, but his gaze never wavers from Johnny and Ten who are seemingly pleased with what has been decided. Taeyong grins wider. “We won’t kill him, but Johnny and Ten are going to help us.”

An eerie feeling surrounds them. Jaemin can’t help the worry that sets in.


	37. Chapter 37

Their decided meetup time is one. They’re all squeezed into two cars; Jaemin, Yangyang, Xiaojun and Jisung and in his car (though it’s Xiaojun who is driving) and in Taeyong’s car was Winwin, Kun and Taeyong himself as well as Johnny and Ten.

Jaemin doesn’t ask why they can walk in the sun despite all those myths and what he’s read before. He has considered asking Taeyong plenty of times, but never did he want to feel or sound dumb. Next to Jisung, who was younger than him, he was way less experienced. He wished he wasn’t.

“You seem to be thinking awfully hard for a simple meetup,” Jisung murmurs from beside him. He’s looking over with a timid smile and if Jaemin is being honest, he seems more nervous than he’s letting on. 

“It’s not a simple meetup,” Jaemin replies. “We’re meeting with Vampire King and who knows who he brings along,” he points out when Jisung looks ready to argue. “From what Johnny and Ten said, he definitely has numbers.”

“And that’s why we’ve brought our own numbers,” Xiaojun reminds. “We’re hunters. This is what we train for.”

He pulls up into an empty parking lot, right as Taeyong pulls up beside them. Jaemin looks out of the window for a brief moment, acknowledging how worn down the buildings around them were. They looked ready to collapse. He climbs out of the car and turns to look at the others. Taeyong is murmuring something to himself before he steps forward. He turns around when he’s in front of them and although he smiles, Jaemin notices the slight falter. 

“So, Kun and Yangyang, you two will wait here alright? Until I give off the signal,” he says. They nod.

When Jaemin looks over, Xiaojun has his arm around Yangyang and he’s placing a kiss against Yangyang’s temple. The moment is soft and surreal and Jaemin finds it sweet. He looks away so as not to intrude any further in their little moment.

“We’ll be okay,” Taeyong states. “Now, lets go.”

They follow his lead. Jaemin takes in the broken bits of building lying around on the floor, and he wonders if meeting at an abandoned building was Taeyong or Hendery’s idea. Though he suspects it to be Taeyong’s. They walk into the biggest and possibly most empty spot in the area.

The person on the other side of the area stands from his seated position and approaches. Beside him is another man with messy hair all in his face. He’s got a sharp jawline, though his face is smaller. Frankly, despite his height, he seemed so much smaller somehow.

“A little late, are you not?” Hendery asks with a quirk of his brow. None of them respond.

Hendery is dressed as elegantly as ever and Jaemin cannot help wondering how he never picked up that there was something unusual about him. The aura that surrounded him was beyond the usual ‘I’m-better-than-everyone-else’. He looked smug. Jaemin didn’t like it. 

“How ironic,” Hendery says, voice dripping with an accent Jaemin doesn’t remember. “Or rather, how cliche, meeting at an abandoned building. It seems to always be this way, does it not?” despite asking, it seems more like a rhetoric question than anything else. He’s smiling brightly as though he has an upper hand in the situation. Jaemin wonders if he’s mocking them.

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “Let’s just get this started,” he replies, seeming to ignore the entire act Hendery was putting on for them.

Hendery grins, fangs extracting and he looks all too ready to pounce. Until Winwin lifts a hand. 

“Just one thing before we start,” he explains. 

Hendery looks annoyed as his fangs retract. “What?”

“We’re not killing anyone,” Taeyong replies.

Hendery tilts his head. “Now where is the fun in that?”

Taeyong turns his head, hand lifted in the air as he makes a gesturing motion with his hand. Jaemin notes how Hendery’s expression shifts, though he isn’t sure what the expression is. A moment after, it shifts into complete horror and when Jaemin turns, Kun and Yangyang are making their way over with Johnny and Ten. Kun held Johnny around his bicep while Yangyang approached with a tight grip on Ten’s wrist and bicep. The two norms looked far more annoyed than they should have; definitely more annoyed than Hendery appeared when he was forced to wait another moment. 

The man beside Hendery looks annoyed. He lunges forward, but Hendery stops him, arm in front of him in order to stop him from doing anything particularly regretful. “Taeil, calm down.” His voice is eerily calm. 

“They have Johnny and Ten, Hendery!” Taeil yells, seething. His hands fist beside him and his fangs are bared. He’s  _ furious _ .

“Yes,” he admits aloud, “But they’re still in one piece.” Hendery turns to the group then and he’s expression has fallen from the amusing smile, but it is as unreadable as ever. 

Taeyong, however, is beyond pleased with the reactions. He smiles. “Now, let us get this started, shall we?”


	38. Chapter 38

“Now then,” Taeyong says. He has this smug look across his face, arms crossed as he keeps his gaze set on Hendery and Taeil. He was expecting to surprise them; this was the new plan, according to Taeyong. The fact that they were more than displeased with the situation was pleasing to Taeyong, it was clear to all of them. “How about it? No killing, and you can have them back in one piece.”

Hendery tilts his head. He’s contemplating the offer. Stepping forward, he gestures back. “How about you give them back. No strings attached. No promises made.”

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “And why would we do that?”

They were expecting this. Hendery turns to face them again, and as he does, there is movement around them. Jaemin doesn’t know where they come from, but the next thing he knows, one after another, Hendery and Taeil are joined by a group of people;  _ vampires _ , Jaemin tells himself until he zones in on their faces and his heart completely stops for a single moment. His eyes meet Renjun’s own, and in that moment, he wishes he were anywhere else but where he was right now. Renjun has a grim expression across his face and when they make eye contact, the grim expression shifts into a blank stare. But his eyes are screaming. 

“No.” It’s Jisung. His voice pulls Jaemin out of his little trance and he looks over in time to see Jisung with one of the most pained expressions across his face. Kun has a hold on his arm, keeping him back, it would seem, while Xiaojun has switched to holding onto Johnny. “What the  _ fuck _ , no!” Jisung screeches, his voice a high pitch of desperation and disbelief. Jaemin follows his gaze to a vampire to the left of Renjun. Most of his hair falls to the left of his face and the lesser of it to the right, separated by the path of his hair. Full, thick lips pull firmly into a line and his eyes are set on Jisung. He stands beside a boy Jaemin recognises from campus, but Jisung is staring strongly at the guy beside Renjun. He’s dressed in denim and dark colours that has him standing out somehow and the longer Jaemin stares, the more he notices similar features. 

“You didn’t tell me he would be here,” the guy speaks to Hendery. He sounds angry. 

“I wasn’t sure,” Hendery replies sympathetically, though the smile betrays his tone. “But isn’t this a wonderful family reunion, Jaehyun?” he asks in pure amusement. He’s gaze is set on Jisung now. 

Kun pulls Jisung back until they’re at the back of the group, but Jaemin cannot help but worry. He knew how much Jisung cared for his brother; how much he looked up to him and how much he truly despised the vampires for taking him away. The fact that he was alive (or at least sort of) and standing right in front of them, Jaemin couldn’t begin to imagine how that felt. He could only imagine it must hurt. Mourning a family member’s death only to find them right there, standing and breathing as though they were still alive. He can relate with Jeno, sure, but he feels as though losing his dad this way would have been much more painful. He shakes his head as he catches Hendery lifting his hand. There is movement again, and Jaemin freezes.

“You really think we wouldn’t notice our boyfriends missing?” Hendery queries as Lucas and Jeno walk out, each with a hostage of their own. 

“Haechan,” Jaemin murmurs. It takes everything inside of him not to dart forward. 

Taeyong cusses loudly as his eyes fall onto Doyoung. With everyone occupied, it’s Jaemin who has to rush to his side and hold him back. Though Taeyong is much stronger, Jaemin somehow manages to keep his ground and hold him tight. “Give him back,” Taeyong hisses.

“Give  _ them _ back,” Jaemin corrects quickly. His eyes fall accusingly onto Renjun whose eyes dart toward the ground. 

“No.” Hendery, whose hand is still in the air, moves his hand toward them in a pointing gesture. A smirk graces his face, and in an instant, it’s gone and his eyes have turned shades darker. “How about a trade? Hostages for hostages,” he suggests.

“Why would we trust you?” Xiaojun asks. Hendery’s brows lift in surprise. 

“Because we have one thing in common. We want our hostages as unharmed as you want yours,” he reminds. “So, do we have a deal?”

Jaemin looks up at Taeyong who is seeming to contemplate the offer. Jaemin doesn’t see him saying no, though. His eyes are racing as he thinks, and anyone would be able to tell that all he was thinking right then was that he needed Doyoung unharmed. The only possible way to ensure that was this particular offer.

Finally, he lifts his head. “Fine. Deal.”

The hostages are forced to make their way forward until they’re all face to face. However, none of them look close to trusting the other hostage holders. Hendery must predict this because he nods. “On three.”

“One,” Taeyong starts off.

Hendery smiles. “Two.”

“Three!” they yell together. 

The hostages are switched. Haechan and Doyoung are on their side and Johnny and Ten have returned to the side of the vampires. But just as Jaemin starts over to Haechan to check whether he’s okay(and Taeyong is ready to pull Doyoung over from Xiaojun), there’s a deep chuckle. Hendery’s laugh is scarier than his eyes, at that moment. Taeyong turns around. “Now to the matter at hand,” Hendery says. “I need the key to your bar. Which one of you has it?” They’re surrounded. While Taeil is standing in front of Johnny and Ten, the others have dispersed and are now surrounding their group, and Jaemin can’t help but think how dumb they have to had been to believe this wouldn’t happen. He looks at Taeyong but nobody looks at him. They’re all looking at each other, but not at him. They knew Hendery would come after the key, they expected this.

Jaemin twitches.

“Ah,” Hendery says, “The pretty new blood hunter has it then?”

Jaemin steps back instinctively. Hendery is smirking as he gestures his hand in a movement that says ‘go’. “Get him,” Hendery says, so softly yet a scream in the silence around. For a moment, Jaemin is frozen. He doesn’t know where to go. 

Taeyong’s hand clamps down hard against his shoulder and he’s practically shoved in the direction of the only opening (he notes how each of them have taken on a vampire of their own as a means of distraction.) “Go, Jaemin, go!”

And sure as hell, Jaemin runs. He prays they buy him enough time. 


	39. Chapter 39

He doesn't have much time.

He's gone through a set of double doors (one of them practically falling off the hinges) and into an empty room. It resembles a parking lot, with all the painted lines and pillars. He can hear a set of footsteps somewhere behind him, and out of pure panic and not much options, he ducks behind a pillar. He's hands are trembling as he tries to grip them into fists and all he wants is to shut his eyes, but he knows that would be an absolutely terrible idea.

The set of footsteps he heard are softer as they enter the room. Humming echoes through the room; a song Jaemin knows, but can't place his finger on. He focuses his breathing; taking slower breaths and trying his best to control it the way they taught him in training. He's crouched near the back. The breeze that flows through the broken windows is cold and he mentally cusses at himself for not bringing a jacket with him. He didn't think he would have needed it.

"Jaemin," Lucas sing-songs, his voice bouncing against the walls as it echoes. There's a loud smashing sound and a groan follows a moment after. "Was so sure you were here," Lucas murmurs. His footsteps continue, but they're softer this time. He strains his ears in order to effectively listen to the echo of Lucas' footsteps. He contemplates walking off to another pillar, but that's too dangerous. He could be caught. Vampires hearing was ten times better than norms and hunters and he wasn't prepared to risk it.

"You know, if you come out, it'll be less painful." _What_ , Jaemin wants to ask, but instead bites his tongue. _You're supposed to be a good kid_ , he wants to say, remembering Kun's words. _You don't like to kill_. A lie he told Kun? He looks down at his hands, fumbling with his pocket. His hand grips tightly around the shape of the stake. He kept it in his pocket; he'd specifically chosen this outfit knowing the pockets would be able to hide it.

He lifts his head as he realizes that he's gotten quieter. He makes eye contact with a fang-bared, grinning Lucas. "Ah-hah!" He exclaims gleefully. "Found you—" He's cut off as he falls to the ground with a loud thud. Jaemin pulls back his leg and without a second thought, he's dashing off to another pillar. Though he doesn't suspect Lucas to take all that long to recover from his fall.

_Don't look back, don't look back, do_ not _look back_ , Jaemin pleads to himself, sliding across the floor and stopping right behind another pillar. He's shaking.

"Jaemin!" Lucas yells, the anger completely enveloping his tone in a mixture of a growl. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Panic sets in when he realizes he can no longer hear his footsteps. "You're going to pay," he says in that sing-song voice. It's eerie and unsettling. Not as much as the silence that settles in the moment Lucas stops speaking. It only heightens the panic within him, and all he wants to do is run. He wants to make a move, but doing so without a plan was too big of a risk. He only had one stake, and he couldn't mess this up.

_Bang!_

Jaemin flinches. Turns his head to the side to see whether he can make out anything, but he doesn't know where Lucas is. All the focus in the world couldn't make him figure it out. This is the capability of a vampire; completely rid their presence like it was just that easy. This was why they always had the upper hand.

A wind whirls by. It comes out of nowhere and it's especially odd as it comes from the opposite direction. Jaemin doesn't need to question it to know that he's been found out. Lifting his head, he's met with bared fangs. An image he can say with high assurance he absolutely despised. It only brought about horrid memories; things he wished to forget. It tied his past to his present and he hated it. Lucas hovers over him in a dark, looming form. His hand presses up against the pillar, and Jaemin can almost imagine this scene in a movie or plucked right out of a book. His eyes flare in annoyance.

"Now, I suspect you will go along with my terms," Lucas murmurs, leaning close until their faces are only inches apart. "If you wish to be spared the pain."

"Do you not need the key?" his voice is a whisper and he barely realizes that he's managed to voice the words until he sees the way Lucas' eyes flicker.

He smirks. "They didn't specify taking it from you without harm," he reminds. The words roll differently, now that he's speaking with his fangs out. It's fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

His hand presses around his pocket. The timing is contemplated.

There's another whirl of wind. It passes Jaemin strongly, causing his eyes to shut against it. He can feel the presence of someone in front of him moments before he opens his eyes and lifts his head. "Renjun?" Jaemin murmurs, hiding most of the surprise in his voice. He notes the way Renjun tenses at the sound of Jaemin's voice, and he feels bad.

"Move aside, Renjun." The annoyance in his tone is thick; the aura radiating off of him is screaming out his annoyance twice as much.

"Not a chance." His hands are fisted at his sides and either Jaemin is shaking so much that his fists appear to be shaking, or Renjun's hands were actually shaking.

"Renjun."

"I won't let you hurt him," Renjun insists firmly. He pushes against Lucas' shoulder until they're both upright. Though Jaemin cannot see it, he imagines the glare Renjun's face is displaying.

"Look," Lucas starts, "I—"

"Why, Lucas?" Renjun pauses. "Why did you target him?"

"Oh, well, that's simple. Hunter blood is always more appealing."

Renjun looks surprised. Jaemin himself is as surprised. Though perhaps they were surprised by different bits of what has been said. He's sure that is it.

"You knew?" Jaemin surprises himself by asking. He's looking right at Lucas, as if Renjun wasn't standing between them like a wall (or a barrier or shield, but he didn't like thinking that.)

"Of course. Hunter blood compared to a norm's? You can always tell." A sickening smile crosses his face, and he's certain that whatever Lucas told Kun, the whole good kid thing was an act.

"Renjun?" is all that Jaemin seems to be able to say.

"I didn't believe it." He's lying. Jaemin doesn't know how, but he just knows that Renjun is lying.

"This is annoying," Lucas mutters, pulling both of them out of their discussion. Jaemin looks at him, brows pulling into a frown. A moment later, he's lunging at Renjun.

Jaemin acts on his own. Zero thought is put into place as he wraps an arm around Renjun, pulling him back as his hand tightens around the stake. Lucas is wide eyed and ready to move out of the way, but it's too late as the stake plunges right into Lucas' heart.


	40. Chapter 40

Lucas' body is on the floor. Jaemin's hands are _shaking_ , and his arm is still firmly wrapped around Renjun.

He can't seem to tear his gaze away from Lucas. His face is frozen and something akin to cracks are notably forming along his face. As though he's turning to stone. Jaemin hasn't seen anything like it. Staring at it for a moment longer, Taeyong's words hit him again and he's fumbling in his pocket. Only when he pulls out the box of matches (they were going to use lighters, but Taeyong decided that matches would be easier given their situation) does he release Renjun from his hold and take a step forward. He tosses the lit match at Lucas' body and turns away as the flame spreads.

"Jaemin," Renjun murmurs. He's in front of him, hands still fisted at his sides as if he were trying to stop himself from reaching out. Jaemin reminds him that that couldn't possibly be the case.

When he turns around, Renjun is holding out a piece of cloth. "You're bleeding." Sure enough, he is. Jaemin presses the cloth against the side of his hand. Head lowered, he quietly goes over the thoughts that whirl through his head.

"You lied," he finally says in response. He looks away from Renjun. "To Lucas."

"I don't think I know what you're talking about," he replies, but he's lying again.

"You said you didn't want to believe, but you did, didn't you? You wanted it to be true," Jaemin supplies. "You wanted me to be a hunter." He turns around to look at Renjun. They're standing far away from what has now become a full on fire (or at the very least, it looked like someone was starting a bonfire in the middle of nowhere.) He stares quietly, watching the way a stricken expression forms across his face before he's biting on his lip. Jaemin doesn't rush him into talking; he's thinking about what he's going to say.

Renjun runs a hand through his hair. "Do you know how much it _kills_ me?" he whispers, wide eyes looking up at Jaemin in a mixture of desperation and horror. "It _kills_ me that I have to survive on blood. That I'm not dead, but I'm not alive either." He's messing up his hair; it's standing out on all ends and he's shaking. "I hate it," he whispers. "So, yeah. I needed you to be a hunter."

Jaemin watches him quietly. He's pushing the growing urge to step forward and hold him and tell him it will be okay; he can't do that. Not here and not now. Not ever, perhaps. It's difficult imagining that Renjun, who was always soft-spoken and smiling and sweet and completely raw with emotion when it came to, hated what he was. More so difficult knowing that he didn't want to be what he was to the extent of dating a hunter in the hopes of being found out.

"You used me?" Jaemin finally asks. His voice is distant and unrecognizable to his own ears.

Renjun's face pulls, but he doesn't deny it.

"I don't want you to die," Jaemin admits. He's stepping forward and has a hand around Renjun's wrist.

"Jaemin, I need to die. It's not optional." He's smiling sadly and all Jaemin wants is to hug him. He doesn't know why he won't step forward, but something is stopping him.

"So you used me then," he queries in defeat. Letting go of his wrist, Jaemin takes a step back. His voice trembles as he continues, "So that you could get me to kill you?" He's still shaking and he can't seem to stop. Rather than allowing himself to stand in front of Renjun and shake the way that he is, he makes his way over to one of the pillars and slides down. Renjun can be heard following after him.

"At first, Jaemin. Only at first. But—"

"No _buts_ , Renjun. Be straight with me for one second, will you?" When he looks up, their eyes meet and Renjun is smiling.

"That's ironic," he murmurs, joining Jaemin at his side. Their shoulders brush against each other and after a moment of silence, Renjun slips his arm around Jaemin's shoulder.

It's been _so_ long since they sat like this, and Jaemin cannot even begin to explain how much he has missed it. Somehow, Renjun was giving him exactly what he needed.

"Jaemin," Renjun murmurs softly, glancing down at him with a softened gaze. "I'm a vampire. I go against the laws of reality."

"You're not alive," Jaemin says aloud. "Nor dead." He's mostly repeating the line Renjun had said.

"No," he replies, "And I should be. I should have died those years ago," he whispers softly. His grip around Jaemin tightens gently and Renjun's cheek grazes against his own and there's a wetness that surprises Jaemin. It takes Jaemin a moment to realize, however, that it wasn't Renjun crying, but him.

"But you're not dead," Jaemin blubbers softly. He hates that he's crying; he doesn't know _why_ he's crying. Just that the mere idea of Renjun being dead was unsettling. It hurt. Heart clenching and chest tightening sort of hurt that wouldn't just go away. Certainly not if Renjun died.

"But I have to be."

"Says who?" Jaemin demands, pulling out of Renjun's hold. He stands up, hands shaking again and _fuck_ he wishes he would just stop shaking.

"Says me. And science. And _hunters_ ," he emphasizes the word with an accusing look at Jaemin. A reminder that he was a hunter before he was a boy in love. Renjun starts to stand when the sound of rushing footsteps echo in their direction. They turn around in time to catch Kun in the doorway.

"We have to go," he urges. "Hospital."

He spares Renjun a glance only to be shoved in the direction of the doors. "Go," Renjun says. "We'll continue this again."

"I'm holding you to that," Jaemin whispers. With that, he turns around and hurries out, following Kun to the car. On their way, they pass a few fires which Jaemin can only assume were once vampires. He can't tell who is who, and so, as he hops into the car, he reminds himself to ask someone later.

_You better stay alive_ , Jaemin thinks to himself, staring quietly out of the window and cloth still pressing hard against his wound. _Or I won't forgive you_.


	41. Chapter 41

He keeps staring at his phone.

They've been in the hospital for a good few hours and exhaustion is slowly winning over, but he's fighting it. Haechan and Doyoung were in a hospital room. In the midst of the exchange, they were injured and needed immediate attention (Jaemin knows this much because the nurse was scolding Taeyong for being so reckless while the doctor was apologizing for her behaviour and assuring them that the two would be okay. The nurse started apologizing when Taeyong collapsed on their way to the waiting room.)

Kun, Jisung, Xiaojun and Jaemin were the least injured of the group. Jaemin currently sat with six stitches in his hand and when asked what happened, he couldn't even retell the tale. Xiaojun claimed he was lying until he retold them of the events that occurred between him and Lucas and Renjun.

Kun wasn't looking at him. No matter how many times they tried to exchange words with him, he never uttered a word. Jaemin felt guilty, considering. Kun must have actually cared deeply for Lucas to be this quiet at the loss. After much questioning on his part, Xiaojun explained who else had been set alight. According to him, Jaehyun was the first to go (and Jisung assured them he was okay. It needed to happen because though it was his brother, he was a vampire as well. And willingly killing people. _"He needed to go, okay?"_ ) and then the order got mixed about. Lucas of course, and somehow they managed to get Hendery. When there was no point in negotiating with him, Taeyong made the move and just like that, they got the oldest vampire. The last one they managed to kill was Jeno. Jaemin had no idea how to respond and so, he chose not to. The idea that Jeno was officially dead flew right by him. He didn't know whether to be pleased or not.

"Jungwoo called me today," Jisung murmurs to Jaemin when they're alone. Xiaojun went to find Yangyang's room and Kun disappeared to the bathroom. "I told him what happened."

"He knew about vampires?" Jaemin asks quietly, looking over at him in surprise.

"He did. He said he wasn't mad at me because he couldn't stand the idea of Jaehyun killing people, you know?"

Jaemin nods. "And what about your friend?"

"Chenle?" Jisung asks. A moment later, he's shrugging. "We knew each other when we were younger. I knew he was a vampire. But he hated killing people. Hendery put him up to everything," he explains softly. He's clearly exhausted, so Jaemin insists he get some rest.

Jaemin sets out in search of coffee when he bumps into Mark.

"You're here," he says, but he doesn't sound surprised. His eyes are flickering from Jaemin to somewhere behind him and back and then, as if the realization finally sets in, he looks at Jaemin. "You found him."

"Yeah."

"Who? Where? How is he?" The panic has finally set in with Mark who seems to be doing everything he can not to reach out and shake the answers out of Jaemin (who appreciates it. He doubts he could handle that right about now, especially considering how much more exhausted he was growing by the second.) "Who did this?" he asks again when Jaemin doesn't respond.

"Mark—"

"Was it vampires? Warlocks? Was it just some coincidence?" Mark pauses, eyes settling on Jaemin as they narrow. "Or are you a norm?" He whispers as he throws out these questions and continuously looks around in the event that there may be anyone around to overhear.

"Aren't _you_?" Jaemin retorts. He has to mask his surprise. "How do you know about that?" he whispers.

Frowning, Mark looks around again before he tugs at Jaemin's sleeve, pulling him along until they've turned at least two corners and they're walking into a completely empty waiting room which Jaemin recalls passing on their way to find Haechan and Doyoung's room. He releases his hold on Jaemin and takes a seat. Jaemin follows in his steps and looks up at Mark expectantly.

"I know because of Renjun," Mark says finally. "Is he okay?"

He pauses which doesn't go unnoticed by Mark, though he waits patiently for Jaemin to respond. Eventually, after a few moments of consideration, Jaemin nods. "He is," he replies softly. "But how is it that you know because of him?"

There's a shift on Mark's side, like he's not too sure as to whether he can talk about it. His eyes flicker around the room and when they meet Jaemin's, he releases a sigh. "It was years ago when we were still in school. Renjun was going out with Jeno by then and I don't know what happened, but somehow he got hurt pretty badly. It was either death or turning him—"

"Did Jeno turn him?" Jaemin asks out of pure horror. He couldn't begin to imagine the idea.

"No, no," Mark reassures, waving a hand at the idea as if it were silly. "Jeno didn't know what to do and took him to some vampire that turned him. He knew he didn't want Renjun to die, so the vampire turned him too."

_Hendery,_ Jaemin realizes. He recalls Ten and Johnny's words; them saying how Hendery had saved people. Renjun was saved by Hendery. Which meant Hendery was the one who turned Jeno. _Hendery was the vampire that attacked us that night_ , he thinks. There's a sickening churning in his stomach at the realization.

"I found out by pure accident. He wasn't eating and he looked really pale and I approached him. Thought maybe his mom wasn't home again and he hadn't told me and I was making food and cut myself and when I turned, there were fangs."

"Did he—?"

Mark chuckles. "No. He was across the room and crying and scared as hell. He eventually told me what happened after he calmed down and that's how I know," he finishes off his explanation, smiling. "So, I helped him out. He didn't want to touch another human, you know. So we did the whole hunting animals thing. He goes off for a week, I cover for him and he's back before they ever realize he is gone."

Jaemin recalls the time Renjun was missing. "You were covering for him then too, weren't you?" He queries.

"I was," he admits easily enough. When he looks at Jaemin again, he's still smiling, but he's got this whole new seriousness to him that wasn't there moments before. "Jaemin," he starts. "I need you to look after him, alright? I don't want anything happening to him."

It takes him a moment longer than it should, but Jaemin finds himself agreeing. Mark doesn't ask how Jaemin knows, and he's alright with that. They get up and go off to find coffee. By the time they return to where Haechan and Doyoung's room is, Kun and Xiaojun are back. Rather than being seated on one of the four chairs, Xiaojun is leaning against the wall next to the chair that Yangyang is in. He looks up and offers a smile and when he waves, Jaemin notes the other arm that is in the cast and sling. Winwin still isn't out. Mark disappears when the doctor calls out Haechan's name and just as he follows Mark into the room, Taeyong and Doyoung make their way out.

"Well, then," Taeyong says, smiling. "As eventful as the day was, how about we all just head home and get some sleep."

"What about Winwin?"

"I'll be here for him." Jaemin turns around and he's face to face with one of the vampires. He can't recall meeting him before, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is Yuta. He's slim and boyish hair frames his face. He looks badass compared to Hendery, and otherwise, Jaemin wouldn't have trusted him.

But the look of worry in his eyes has Jaemin nodding.

Jaemin disappears into the room to say his goodbyes to Haechan and Mark (who are both insistent about him leaving and getting some sleep because he 'definitely looks like he needs it') and then he's walking out of the hospital with the rest of the group.

In the car, he finds himself staring at his phone again.


	42. Chapter 42

When Jaemin comes downstairs the next morning, Xiaojun and Taeyong are working behind the counter. Yangyang is seated at the counter, seeming to be in a bicker with Xiaojun (it's about the fact that Xiaojun had told him to stay home and rest and yet here he was. Yangyang claims he can't just lay around and do nothing because it makes him feel useless) which ends moments after Jaemin slides into the seat beside Yangyang.

"You rest well?" Yangyang asks softly. He's smiling as though the little bicker between him and Xiaojun were nothing. Or as if it hadn't just happened.

"Best sleep I've had in awhile," Jaemin replies with a small smile. "And you? And you? Everything alright?"

Despite the look Xiaojun is giving him, Yangyang nods. "He's fussing over nothing." When he turns his head to look at Xiaojun, he's met with a kiss. Considering how little Jaemin has seen them being intimate, he finds the act cute and sweet.

"Break it up," Taeyong says, tugging Xiaojun back when he returns from serving one of the tables on the other side of the room. "You can do that sort of stuff when you're _not_ at work," he tells Xiaojun pointedly, the latter flushing and looking away. Taeyong leans forward against the counter and turns his attention to Jaemin. "You did well."

He blinks. "Thank you," he murmurs. It's all he can think to say at that very moment.

Nodding, Taeyong shifts his stance, but his gaze doesn't falter. "So, Haechan is back I hear."

Jaemin doesn't ask how he heard; it's Taeyong who just has his ways. "Yeah," Jaemin replies and he's smiling before he realizes it. "Mark won't let him move around much so he's practically bedridden," Jaemin informs with a chuckle.

"At least he listens," Xiaojun mutters.

Yangyang rolls his eyes. "Would you drop it, love?" he asks, so softly that Jaemin almost misses the little pet name, It's clear that Xiaojun doesn't miss it with the way he flushes and turns away, fumbling with a glass so much so that Jaemin worries he'll drop it (though he's almost sure that he won't.)

"How is Kun?" Jaemin asks, turning back to Taeyong whose expression drops for a moment. He seems to catch himself and he's smiling again, but it's not as _there_ as the previous one.

"He's trying. It's difficult, you know?"

Jaemin doesn't say it aloud, but _oh_ he knows. He knows all too well. Losing Jeno the first time was horrible, but a second time was even worse. Remembering how he felt the first time he thought he lost Jeno, he could imagine how Kun was feeling.

"I feel terrible," he murmurs.

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't. Kun understands," Taeyong replies. "He's a hunter and unfortunately, deaths come with the job."

Jaemin nods, understanding completely. While he knew it couldn't be avoided, he hoped he could possibly avoid as many future deaths as possible. When the cup of coffee is placed in front of him, he murmurs a soft thank you and takes a sip. He was trying to keep from checking his phone again. He needed to stop because considering he never heard from Renjun the day before, there was this little hope that he would hear from him today. No matter how many times he told himself he needed to stop, he just _needed_ it. To hear from him; to make sure he was alive like he swore he would be (not verbally, but it was unspoken. Or rather, it was behind the words that had actually been spoken.)

The door opens and footsteps echo against the wooden floors. Jaemin didn't even know they were wooden floors; he never heard footsteps echo the way these did nor did he even look at the floors long enough to actually deduce that they _were_ wooden.

"Hey." It's Winwin. Jaemin looks up in surprise. He starts to say something when Winwin hands over an envelope. "This is for you," he explains and only when Jaemin accepts it does he actually step back and take a seat beside Yangyang, leaving him staring at the envelope in all it's white glory with such a pretty, scrawly writing of his name; a handwriting Jaemin recognised from all those times they studied together.

He lifts his head. "Can I sit at one of the—"

Taeyong nods his head. "Go ahead."

Jaemin is already half out of his seat as he thanks him. He takes a seat at one of the empty tables in the far corner of the room. He doesn't open it immediately. It takes him a good few moments before his trembling hands manage to peel open the envelope as delicately as possible. He doesn't want to ruin it.

A letter; written on ruled paper. Informal and yet the handwriting is as elegant and regal as ever. His mouth twitches upward at the corners. He counts to three and unfolds the rest of it.

**_Dear Jaemin,_ **

**_A bit odd to be saying dear, but rather appropriate given the format of the message, don't you think?_ **

**_I've wanted to message you, I have. However, my phone is broken and it's taken forever to find the words to fill this paper, but I suppose there is no massive, big message I need to pass on. I just need to keep it simple._ **

**_I want to see you. I want to talk to you._ **

**_We left our conversation on a cliffhanger, so I suppose it is only appropriate to continue it as soon as possible._ **

**_You always went on about how I never really picked a date or anything, so here it is:_ **

**_Tomorrow morning, nine a.m. (that should be long enough to get done)._ **

**_I'll see you then._ **

**_Regards, Renjun._ **

Despite himself, he's smiling. Running his thumb along the words, he's smiling so wide that his cheeks are hurting, but despite the smile, he feels close to tears.

He doesn't know why. He runs his thumb along Renjun's name and he's smiling again. He wishes he wasn't; he should be mad. He should be upset and mad, but he isn't.

"Tomorrow," he murmurs. 


	43. Chapter 43

He's waiting outside the dorm building.

There wasn't a specific place as to where they were going to meet up, but he figured if there were going to be a place, unspoken, it would be here. He's staring at the ground; he doesn't have the heart to look through the crowd.

"What are we staring at?"

Jaemin jolts in surprise. When he looks up, Renjun is standing beside him, a gentle smile gracing his face as he looks at him with the softest and warmest of eyes. He never thought he'd be so glad to see a vampire, and yet here he was, smiling brightly at the sight of one. "I was waiting for you," he responds. He expects a reply, but they stare at each other in silence for a good few seconds. Seeming to realize, Renjun nods and intertwines their hands together.

He should pull away, but something stops him. Instead, he allows Renjun to pull him along as they head to the coffee shop. He watches the way Renjun is smiling. Occasionally, he glances back as if to check and make sure Jaemin is still there. As if their hands intertwined wasn't assurance enough.

They make their way into the coffee shop and Renjun only untangles their hands as they take their seats. The waitress is there in a flash, but she doesn't ask what they want to order; she already knows. Instead, Jaemin catches sight of a smile across her face when he looks up.

"Welcome back," she says softly. "I'll be right back with your orders." With that said, she disappears to the back. Jaemin swears he sees a skip in her step.

"It's been a while since we've been here," Renjun says, pulling Jaemin's attention back to their table. He isn't looking at him but rather at the little menu that they've added to the tables; it's laminated and handwritten in fancy script accompanied by cute little drawings of certain items. Rather than replying, Jaemin graces the statement with a nod. He's thumbing at the cafe name on the menu.

"I won't do it you know." His voice is soft, but firm. There was no point beating around the bush. More than anything he wanted to continue their conversation from the other day. He wanted to address the unspoken topic. When he looks up, Renjun is already looking at him. Today, his eyes are a soft, light hazel brown, and it takes all of his power not to fall into their trap.

"Do what?"

Jaemin rolls his eyes. "You know what."

"Yeah," he admits, almost bashfully. "So you won't do it."

"No, I won't."

"Because you love me?"

Jaemin considers it for a moment. For a moment, he tells himself that that is why he can't do it, and maybe it's part of the reason, but he knows better. It's not the entire reason.

"Because you _want_ to die. With that in mind, I suppose the true pain would be letting you live. So, I won't do it," he explains, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

Their conversation comes to a halt as the waitress returns, placing down their cups in front of them. She hesitates for a moment before placing down two plates with chocolate cake on. When they look up, she's smiling. "It's on the house," she assures. "As a welcome back." She bows her head and tells them to enjoy their day before she disappears to the back again. Jaemin is left staring.

"Welcome back, huh?" Renjun murmurs mostly to himself, though Jaemin catches it and turns his attention back to him.

"You're good, Renjun."

Renjun looks up, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"You are _so_ good, Renjun," Jaemin repeats without missing a beat. "You're not like Lucas or Hendery or those that attack and target and kill. You're better than them. And so, I want you to live. Plus, Mark would definitely kill me if you die."

Renjun's lips twitch into a smile and he lowers his head. "You two spoke then."

"Naturally."

"So you know."

"I do."

Renjun stays quiet. He's taking a bite out of his piece of cake, eyes fluttered shut and lashes kissing his cheeks. He looks absolutely beautiful and as mesmerizing as ever. He clears his throat.

"One more reason," he says.

Renjun nods. "Shoot."

"Life without you would suck," he says, pointing the cake fork at him for emphasis. "Or at least I'd hate it. So I think you sticking around would be great." He digs the fork into the cake and starts eating his piece.

"Life without you would suck too," Renjun murmurs.

The atmosphere around them has dulled completely. Jaemin stares at his piece for a while, the silence around them seeming to intensify. He lifts his head and they're staring at each other again.

"I have to say, though, I don't know how I'd feel dating a vampire," he keeps his voice low so their conversation doesn't travel nor is it overheard.

Renjun is fighting a smile as he lowers his head, but it's horrible; he sucks at fighting off the smile because the next thing Jaemin knows, the smile is reaching Renjun's eyes and he looks brighter than when they met up. Hell, he looks brighter than he has the last few days.

"Well," he says with a soft chuckle, "If I can date a hunter, surely you can date a vampire." Renjun takes Jaemin's hand in his own and he's smiling again, just a tad softer this time.

And Jaemin supposes that this is okay. After everything they've been through, he supposes it wouldn't be so bad to try this out.

He gives Renjun's hand a gentle squeeze.


	44. Epilogue

He's stepping out of his last class of the day alongside Jisung who he parts ways with when they reach the dorms. (He has a date with Chenle and he was so nervous about it that he barely paid any attention in their class. Kun called out to him and asked him a question and he got so flustered, Jaemin thought he'd turn into a strawberry.)

When he gets to his room, Renjun is waiting outside. He's sitting with a book and Jaemin can certainly say he missed seeing Renjun read.

Jaemin unlocks the door and steps inside, dropping his things onto his bed and changing into another sweater by the time Renjun walks in. "You know you don't have to change, right?" he asks softly. There's the faint sound of footsteps as he comes closer and Jaemin can feel the light brush of Renjun's hands against his sides as he helps pull down the sweater. Their faces are inches apart, breaths dancing against each other as they continue to stare in silence. Wrapping an arm around Jaemin, Renjun pulls him closer until their lips are touching and it's soft and sweet and far too short for his liking, but it cannot be helped as they pull apart.

"I know, but I felt like I should change before we go," Jaemin insists softly, turning his head.

"I know." Renjun steps away and offers a smile. "You look good," he assures, answering Jaemin's unspoken question to which he is grateful. Not wanting to waste another moment, they step out. Jaemin locks the door and they make and they head out, hand in hand as they walk to his car.

"We should consider getting you a key for the room," Jaemin says suddenly. He's nervous and in his current state, he couldn't handle the silence all too well. Which is most likely why Renjun, who has somehow managed to read Jaemin with a single glance, insists on driving. He doesn't bother fighting it and climbs into the passenger seat.

"I think we should consider that next year," he replies.

"Or we could just ask for a room together."

Renjun pauses, hand mid-air as he's about to turn on the radio. He looks at Jaemin, and the surprise is shining in his eyes. "You mean that?"

"I mean it."

Renjun smiles as he starts the car. Their drive is filled with soft music, humming and occasional hand holding. It consists of constant reassurance from Renjun who assures Jaemin it will be okay. There really isn't anything to worry about, and Jaemin's eventual nod. He looks out of the window, watching the view as it goes by while Renjun hums, eyes on the road.

They make a stop along the way; a little coffee shop on the way up. Without needing to ask, Renjun makes an order for three coffees and then they're back on the road.

When they reach their destination, Renjun finds a parking spot while Jaemin buys a bouquet of flowers from a woman by the entrance. He's joined a moment later and they head down the pathway and up the hill. They pass by trees and graves. People are mourning quietly, but he and Jaemin don't take note as they head up. Soft cries fill the air as babies grow restless, children screeching and running past them, unaware of reality around them. Renjun keeps an arm tightly around Jaemin's shoulder as they pass the graves that are at the end of the hill and they walk until they've reached the one they've come to visit.

Jaemin and Renjun turn.

"It's too bad we couldn't invite his family," Renjun murmurs as Jaemin crouches down and lays the flowers delicately on Jeno's grave. His hands tremble, but maybe that's just because of the cold breeze.

"I told my dad," Jaemin replies. "He'll eventually tell his family."

A hand rests on his shoulder and squeezes softly. Jaemin closes his eyes and sends off a silent prayer. When his eyes flutter open again, Renjun helps him to a stand and they switch places as Renjun crouches this time and Jaemin holds the coffees.

Jaemin stares quietly at the image before him, and though he's gone through a lot and he's had to lose Jeno twice, he'd like to think that his soul is at peace now.

And he'd like to think he's still pretty lucky.

"Coffee?" Renjun says, his voice pulling Jaemin back to reality. He's not crying, but it still hurts. When he looks at Renjun, he knows that it hurts him too. There's an unimaginable amount of pain in his eyes, and Jaemin wonders if they were in other circumstances and Jeno were still alive, if it would be the three of them rather than just the two of them. He'd definitely like to think that in an alternate universe, that was the case.

"Coffee," Jaemin repeats.

This time, they sit down together in front of the grave. Renjun hands Jaemin a cup, takes one for himself and places the third cup next to the gravestone. They bump their cups against it gently and then Jaemin smiles.

"Hey, Jeno," he murmurs softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that, everyone, is the end. 
> 
> I just want to say a big thank you to all of you who are reading. Those of you who have voted, I appreciate it and a huge thank you to those of you who left comments. I just want to apologize for not answering most of them, I'm terrible with communicating in general and I never quite knew what to say, but the comments put smiles on my face, so thank you.
> 
> I so much enjoyed writing this story (and yes, I do apologize for certain deaths. Had no idea I was going to do it, but I ended up doing it) and I'm going to miss this story a lot. 
> 
> And just another thank you all so much for supporting!


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